New Perspectives
by Angry Little Mouse
Summary: On every other day, Leorio would have walked past the little market stall on the central plaza of Bifmetz-City. Neither was he particularly interested in embroidery nor was he ready to buy a little piece of fabric more expensive than his suit. Today, however, was different. [Leorio/OC]
1. A New Number

**My first Hunter x Hunter fanfiction. It takes place after the last anime episode. So everything that happens in the manga after that is not relevant for this story. English is not my first language, so if you find any mistakes, feel free to mention them so I can correct them!**

 **Summary: On every other day, Leorio would have walked past the little market stall on the central plaza of Bifmetz-City. Neither was he particularly interested in embroidery nor was he ready to buy a little piece of fabric more expensive than his suit. Today, however, was different. [Leorio/OC]**

 **Genres: Romance, Drama, Thriller and some Comedy**

* * *

On every other day, Leorio would have walked past the little market stall on the central plaza of Bifmetz-City. Neither was he particularly interested in embroidery nor was he ready to buy a little piece of fabric more expensive than his suit. He had thrown a few glances at the articles on the counter for the first time last week, but had quickly decided not to show further interest. The goods were clearly hand-made though and he respected that. So he threw another glance at the market stall every day, with no intention of being more interested than the days prior.

Today, however, was different. His eyes wandered over the floor of the plaza and finally landed on the little, shabby market stall whose wood was dark and brittle. The woman behind the counter was folding some kind of blue fabric and was about to hand it over to her customer, when a middle-aged man, who was just walking past, grabbed the fabric the woman was holding, and then some. He quickly dashed away, not giving the saleswoman any chance of stopping him from escaping with her pricy artwork. Leorio went into action-mode immediately. From the corner of his eye he saw the saleswoman throwing the change she received from the buyer on the floor. She cursed colourfully.

Leorio was now chasing the thief through the city, all the while questioning himself. Was this a good idea? What if this person was a strong Nen-user? What if he belonged to some kind of organisation like the phantom troupe? He really was an idiot. His train of thought was cut short when the man ahead of him suddenly stopped. Leorio did so as well and furrowed his brows. That was rather strange. Either he was extremely self-confident or he was so ignorant he didn't even realise he was being chased. The man then turned around and locked eyes with Leorio. Realisation dawned on his face. So he _hadn't_ realised. This was his chance! Leorio pounced forward like a lanky cat and threw himself on top of the thief. Said thief was clearly caught off guard as he squeaked rather embarrassingly. Leorio got a hold of the stolen fabric and tore it away from him. Then he quickly stood up. "You better not try that again!" he said aggressively. The thief just stared at him, not quite catching on what just happened.

Leorio turned around. He gulped down his nervousness. _Now just walk away confidently._ Leorio told himself. _Let him think you are dangerous and not someone to mess with._ His plan seemed to work well enough. The man didn't follow him. As soon as Leorio was out of sight, he let his shoulders fall and sighed, totally exhausted. _And all of that for a piece of fabric!_

Leorio walked back to the market stall and found the saleswoman inspecting her merchandise. She seemed to be counting how many articles she had lost. Her face showed clear signs of distress and anger and her cheeks were reddened. Leorio looked down at the fabric in his hands and walked over to the woman. He stretched out his arm. She looked up, startled to find her stolen goods being handed back to her. Her eyes wandered up and stayed on Leorio's face.

"Uh," she stuttered, clearly at a loss for words.

Leorio grinned proudly. "I thought you might be missing these!"

Slowly, a smile spread on her face and her eyes lit up. "Indeed I _was_ missing these. Thank you so much!"

Leorio laughed bashfully and scratched his nose. "No problem, it was an honour."

She looked down at the counter and then at Leorio. Then she picked up a black handkerchief decorated with red and blue embroideries and gave it to him. He inspected it and instantly liked the complicated, angular pattern.

"I want to give this to you, as a Thank you," she said and seemed to think it over for a moment. "I would also like to invite you for a coffee. What do you say?" Leorio was startled and looked at the woman. He nodded bewilderedly. His heart took a leap. Did that count as a date? He would not be opposed should that be the case. She was quite easy on the eyes, after all. Her reddish, chin-length hair curled around her round face. Brown, friendly eyes and a charming smile made her seem open and nice. "I would like that very much," he finally answered and she smiled. "I just need to pack up my stuff. I know a nice café not far from here. Wait a moment."

Fifteen minutes later the two of them were sitting at a table in a café named 'afternoon sun'. It was situated in a narrow alley just a few meters away from the market. Some rays of sunshine managed to find their way around the buildings – other than that it was mostly rather chilly due to the amount of shadows. Leorio liked it. The woman, whose name was Laeta, was sitting across from him. She had ordered a cappuccino, while he had chosen black coffee. Something he had begun doing while studying late into the night. He could barely drink coffee with milk anymore, he found it borderline revolting.

"So do you make those… pieces of fabric yourself?" he asked, not really knowing what to call them but hoping he hadn't insulted Laeta.

She just chuckled. "Yes I do make them myself. I buy the fabric and embroider them. It's something I learned from my grandmother." She took a sip and looked Leorio in the eyes. "What do you do?"

Leorio smiled. "I'm studying to become a doctor. It's always been my dream."

Laeta nodded. "That's nice." A gust of wind swept through the alley. Now it was really getting cold. If Laeta was cold, she did a good job hiding it, for she just carried on drinking her cappuccino and asking questions. She sure seemed to be one inquisitive individual.

"What's it like?" she asked. "Studying, I mean."

Leorio stayed silent for a moment. He never really thought about what studying was like. He was focused on what he wanted to do _after_ he was finished studying. He wanted to open a clinic, to help people, to save lives.

"It's a means to an end," he finally answered. "I could do without it- but then again I need the knowledge."

"I see." Laeta worried her bottom lip. "I never really liked doctors. I hated going to clinics." Leorio raised an eyebrow. But then a smile lit up her face. "But you sure are nice, Leorio. That was a lot of money you saved there. It would have been a huge loss for me, so thank you again. You really helped me."

"Ah, you are welcome. I could not stand by and watch you being robbed. You could say that was a reflex."

"You have strange reflexes," Laeta laughed. She emptied her cup and looked at her wrist watch. A regretful sigh escaped her. "I need to go now." Standing up, she put the money for their beverages on the table. She seemed to be hesitating as she took her bag and put the wallet back in. Leorio was about to ask what was wrong when she murmured, "Do you think we could meet again? I enjoyed your company." Leorio saw her cheeks catching fire.

"S-Sure!" he exclaimed. Clearing his throat he added, now sounding more composed, "I would be very happy to meet you again."

Laeta smiled happily. "Great!" She stood there for a while, before she managed to ask, "How do we do this? I-I mean do I give you my number?"

"Oh! Sure, you can do that."

"Okay," she muttered, searching for a piece of paper to write her number down.

"Okay," Leorio said, hoping this was not a dream.

And like that, Leorio received one additional number to his phone.


	2. Meeting Again

**Meeting Again**

* * *

Leorio opened the door to his hotel room and entered. The day had tired him out more than he had expected. What had started as a day intended to be relaxing and _normal_ had come to be a day so abnormal it was everything _but_ relaxing. Really, the only good thing that had come out of it was meeting Laeta. And even that encounter, as nice as it was, had only made the day more exhausting. As he closed the door behind him, something hit him in the face. It was soft – a pillow for sure.

Right. It was not _his_ hotel room alone. "Leorio!" he heard an excited exclamation, "You're back! How did it go?" Gon jumped up from his spot on the bed and ran to Leorio. He was as energetic as ever, practically jumping up and down where he stood.

Leorio thought back to the time when Gon was laying in the hospital, totally unresponsive. A white cloth had been covering his torn up body, gradually turning crimson with blood. He shuddered. He'd rather have Gon jump up and down all day and all night than not at all. The last year had been hard on him, Leorio thought. He had returned home to spend time with his aunt, while coming to terms with the fact that he had no Nen left whatsoever. Then there were his feelings of guilt towards Kite still… But being the little ball of sunshine he was, he had moved on and contacted Killua, asking him to meet again.

Killua for his part had spent time with his younger sister. Leorio knew how precious she was to him. So it had surprised him to hear that Alluka had not accompanied him to meet up with Gon. She had stayed with Wing and Zushi, wanting to learn a little bit of Nen herself. The siblings stayed in contact through messages and calls and Leorio did not doubt for one second that Killua would rush back if she even alluded to wanting him back.

Thinking of the white haired boy, Leorio let his eyes sweep across the room in search of his other little companion. He found Killua sitting on the windowsill, nibbling on some sort of treat. He was the complete opposite of Gon. Calm, relaxed – oh how he envied him sometimes – and more mature than his age and height would let on. But a mischievous smile adorned his face. A pillow fight needed two participants, after all.

"Yo!" Killua said, jumping down from the windowsill.

"Hey, Leorio," Gon said, his voice sounding a little exasperated, "Tell me, how was it? Did you get them?" Leorio stopped in his tracks, the jacket he wanted to throw over the armrest of a chair landing on the floor instead. Crap. He had forgotten to buy the tickets. How could he have forgotten to buy the damn tickets?

"Leorio?" the boy asked, now sounding concerned.

Killua butted in as well. "Hey, you couldn't have possibly _not_ gotten the tickets, right?" He sounded like he knew exactly what was going on, but was still unwilling to believe it. And Leorio didn't blame him. His task had been easy enough: Go to the theatre house, buy tickets and bring them home.

Leorio cleared his throat. "Well, you see…" Killua twisted his mouth. Go blinked three times. "I don't have the tickets?" Leorio finished, but it came out more as a question. Killua let out a defeated sigh.

"But why?" the green haired boy asked. He seemed so innocent sometimes. Leorio almost felt bad. Almost. Mostly he just felt like an idiot.

"There was some turbulence," he finally said, taking his chance to present himself in a favourable light. "But of course I stepped in!" Gon stared at him with a lightly opened mouth and shining eyes. Leorio could see that he was thinking his words over.

Killua was looking rather sceptical. "What kind of turbulence are we talking about?" he asked.

"There was a robbery at the market, but I caught the thief and helped the lady at the counter out," Leorio explained and then added, a little more muted, "And she might have invited me for a coffee afterwards. "

Gon beamed. "That's great, Leorio!"

Killua threw a pillow at Gon. Being unprepared, he couldn't dodge. "It's not great! How are we supposed to meet Melody, if we don't have tickets for her concert? We don't have any other way to contact her, idiot!"

Gon's smile though, stayed plastered on his face. "It's okay, Killua. We'll find a way to meet Melody. Maybe we can still get the tickets tomorrow." Killua huffed and sat back down onto the windowsill. "Whatever," he muttered, his cheeks having turned pink from embarrassment.

Right, they would try again tomorrow.

* * *

Gon and Killua went with Leorio this time. Leorio felt like a little child being accompanied by his guardians when it should definitely be the other way around. But there was no arguing that he _had_ messed up the day before. And there was certainly no arguing that Killua could easily kick his ass whenever he wanted. He hated to exclude Gon, but without Nen he was a rather minor threat at the moment. Of course Killua knew that as well and didn't leave Gon out of his sight at all. It was rather cute, but Leorio bit back any comments. He was just glad that Gon was safe under Killua's watchful eyes.

Leorio couldn't resist his eyes wandering to the little wooden market stall when they crossed the central plaza. And indeed, there stood Laeta, talking to a customer. She was pointing at different articles on her counter while smiling proudly. His thoughts wandered to the handkerchief in his pocket. Suddenly he saw Laeta looking up and finding his eyes with hers. Her smile widened and she waved. He could definitely not ignore that. She had seen that he had seen her as well. Ignoring her would be downright rude. So he waved back. And _of course_ Gon saw that.

"Hey, Leorio," he began, "who is that?" He furrowed his brows and the next moment he looked like he had all the answers. "Is she the Lady you told us about yesterday?"

"A-Ah- Um… Yeah, she is," he stuttered. Great. Now they knew. Killua knew; he would never live this down.

"Why don't you go say hello? She seems to be waiting."

Leorio scratched his neck. "We don't have time for that, right?" Actually he _really_ wanted to go say hello. What was he doing?

"Don't be silly! We still have enough time. And anyway, she looks nice." Gon looked at her and waved back.

A few seconds later they were standing in front of the market stall. Gon and Killua were looking at the embroideries with interest, pointing out things they particularly liked. They were so easily impressed, Leorio thought. Gon especially seemed to be totally in awe. Laeta was watching them both with a small smile before she turned to Leorio, who was awkwardly standing in front of her.

"What are you doing here?" she asked curiously.

"Oh, we are on our way to buy tickets for the concert tomorrow evening," Leorio said.

Laeta's eyes widened. "I see. I guess we will see each other, in that case. I am going as well," she said."I love the concerts they have there."

Leorio tried not to look excited. Laeta meanwhile was looking excited enough for both of them. Leorio noted that she seemed to be easily embarrassed. She was twisting the fabric of her dress between her bony fingers nervously.

"I'll see you tomorrow, I guess," Leorio said, now _really_ wanting to still get a ticket.

Laeta nodded, "Yeah."

* * *

The theatre house was filled to the brim with people of all ages and genders. Though elderly people seemed to be particularly fond of the concert that was about to take place. Leorio fanned himself some air with the program sheet he had received at the entrance. The air was sticky and hot. He wanted nothing more than a cool beverage, but that had to wait for now. There would be a break halfway through the concert. Gon and Killua were sitting next to him, taking in the huge concert hall.

It was impressive. There were so many chairs; Leorio doubted he would be able to count them all. Then there were several terraces over their heads that contained even more chairs. Red carpet decorated the floor and complemented the red cushions they were sitting on. The light was warm but dim. If Leorio had to but a label on it, he would call it romantic. In front of them was a stage. Leorio smiled in anticipation. He was really looking forward to meeting Melody again. He wondered how she would react to seeing them.

Then, finally, the curtain was pulled aside. In the middle of the stage stood a small woman who was dressed elegantly in a black dress. Her hair was braided around her head, making it look like she was wearing a coronal on top of her bald head. She was holding her flute with utmost care and moved it to her lips slowly. Leorio recognized Melody at once. Gon and Killua had gone silent like the rest of the audience.

As soon as the first note resounded, Leorio felt a lot calmer than he had throughout the last few weeks. He absentmindedly asked himself how good a therapy of this kind would be received among his future patients.

Somewhere along the line, a few violins and other instruments joined in. They harmonised beautifully.

Slowly though, the melody of the piece changed, first subtly and then more recognizable. It got more intense. The notes were played louder and in faster succession. Chords changed from major to minor, from minor to diminished and from there it took a path Leorio couldn't describe, he had never heard Melody play something like that. He could swear his heart was beating faster and some sweat was running down his neck. He felt his skin prickling with tension and his mouth going dry.

Then, it stopped. The last sounds were bouncing off the walls, until they died completely. Silence.

The first few claps were reserved, almost reluctant. But then the audience exploded, and Leorio did so too. He stood up and clapped wildly, his heart still pounding inside his chest. In that moment, Melody looked up at him. She made a surprised expression before she composed herself. The both of them nodded; they would meet after the concert was finished. Leorio sat back down. He was looking forward to the rest of the evening.


	3. Calling an old friend

**Banana:** Thank you! I'm glad I was able to pique your interest. Also thank you for your help. The mistake is corrected and will be remembered for the future.

* * *

 **Calling an old friend  
**

Leorio was standing at the buffet, looking around in search of Melody. He really hoped they would find each other in between all these people. His eyes fell upon the long table that stretched across the whole room. On top of it stood glasses with wine, orange juice – of which both Killua and Gon had eagerly taken some – and even champagne. There were also several different snacks piled on top of each other, arranged in a pyramid-like formation. Having had nothing for dinner yet, Leorio got hungry purely by looking at them. Every time he breathed in, the smell of bread, ham and other delicious things assaulted him. And he had to roam the room in search of Melody - What a torture!

Suddenly he heard a soft voice behind him, calling his name. He turned around and found himself face to face with Melody. He found it fascinating all over again how a woman of her age could be so terribly short. He had to admit though; he really didn't know how old she actually was. Now feeling bad somewhat, he greeted her with a charming smile. She smiled back, her eyes smiling right along.

"It's nice to see you," she said. Her voice was just as soothing as her flute, Leorio decided. She looked around a little bit confused. "Where are Gon and Killua? I thought I saw them sitting in the audience with you."

Leorio laughed and pointed behind him. "They are devouring the buffet." He didn't have to look to know that. Hell, _he'd_ be devouring the buffet right now if he didn't have to play adult and get things done. Instead he focused his attention back on Melody. "That was one hell of a concert, Melody."

She thanked him, not in the least bit embarrassed. He would forever admire her self-confidence and her positive outlook on life. Melody hesitated before she asked, "Why are you here? Not that I'm not happy, but it is quite surprising."

Leorio sighed and loosened his tie. This would be a long talk. But it was no use beating around the bush. "To tell the truth we need your help," he explained. Melody was startled, grabbed his hand and pulled him aside. They stopped as soon as they were around a few corners. Leorio could only hear the other people talking faintly here. Privacy was good, he thought. Melody looked him straight in the eyes. "How could I possibly help you?" She spoke quietly, obviously aware that the topic to be discussed was meant for their ears only.

Leorio thought for a moment. "We cannot contact Kurapika. We tried it repeatedly over the past year, but he just won't pick up his damned phone!" he said and got louder with every word.

Melody put a finger in front of her mouth and shh-ed him. "I understand," she soothed. "Listen, I gave up working for Nostrade a few months ago. It was clear to me then that I would not find the Sonata of Darkness in that way. So I decided to travel the world for myself. Taking a few jobs here and there, meeting people, asking around…" She stopped there. "I stay in contact with him over calls only. I told him I would come back sooner or later to check up on him." Melody closed her eyes. "I am really worried for him, Leorio."

"Which is why we need you," Leorio clarified. "If you are in contact with him he will pick up the phone if you call him," he explained. "Please." Now he just sounded desperate, but he really didn't care.

Melody avoided eye contact. "I really don't like misusing his trust like that. I'm sure he has reasons."

"Fuck his reasons!" he exploded, "Melody, seriously. He can't just sever all contact with us. I will not accept that. He didn't even visit Gon in the hospital!" Leorio felt anger bubbling in his stomach, slowly crawling up his throat and pouring out in words he had held back for a whole year. "That's not what friendship is like! Friendship is about helping each other. I don't care if he wants to protect us that way - we want to help him and protect him, too!"

"He's right." Leorio whipped his head around and Melody looked up. Killua was standing in the corridor and Gon right beside him, a determined expression on his face. He was the next one to say something.

"I understand better now. I understand his thirst for revenge." He must be talking about Kite, Leorio assumed. "No," Gon corrected, his voice wavering. "Actually I still don't understand. I didn't lose my whole family in that way. But I did… almost lose someone precious to me." He looked straight at Melody. She could not look away from these eyes. They demanded attention. "I need to talk to him."

Melody looked from Gon to Killua and back to Leorio where she remained for a while. Then she fished for something in her handbag. When she pulled her hand back out she was holding her phone. "I will call him," she gave in. "But only this once."

Leorio narrowed his eyes but said nothing. Instead he just nodded. It was a compromise, a fair deal. Complaining now would make him look like an ungrateful jerk. The only thing he could do was hope that Kurapika would be reasonable. Melody pressed a few buttons on her phone, looked at it one last time and handed it to Leorio. He took it, and pressed 'call'.

It rang five times before the call was answered. Leorio held his breath and waited.

"Melody? What is it?" It was him.

Leorio bit his tongue and calmed down. He should not utter any rash words now. That would only push Kurapika away.

"It's me, Kurapika." He got nothing from the other end, just silence. "Don't you dare hang up on me, Kurapika," he grumbled. "I will be seriously pissed off if you do." He paused. "Actually, forget that. I _am_ already pissed off," he added.

Kurapika sighed. "Leorio…"

Silence again.

"Don't 'Leorio' me. Say something."

"I really don't know _what_ to say. Why did you call?"

Leorio gritted his teeth. "Are you serious right now?" He took a deep breath, tried to calm down again - and failed. "We are worried sick about you! Why can't you just once - _just once_ pick up your damned phone? It's pure coincidence that we heard about the concert Melody had tonight!"

"I don't want you three involved with this anymore. You saw where that lead to in Yorknew. Gon and Killua almost got killed. I will not be held responsible for their deaths just because you decided it was a good idea to meddle in something way out of your league. Why do you think I left without saying goodbye?"

Leorio swallowed. Where was the mellow but determined Kurapika he knew?

"I am collecting the eyes of my brethren right now. I don't need- I don't _want_ your help." There he made a long pause, but Leorio knew he wasn't finished, so he waited. "I hope you understand. It's for your protection. I didn't only make allies by working for the mafia, you know that."

"Kurapik-"

"Greet Gon and Killua. Goodbye." Then he hung up.

For a while Leorio was not able to take the phone away from his ear. He gritted his teeth. Melody looked at the floor, defeated. Of course she had heard. He gave the phone back to her.

"Thank you," he pressed out as he strode away. Gon and Killua stayed where they were, but he could feel icy eyes piercing into his back. And even though he knew that anger was not directed at him, it sent shivers down his spine. He was relieved that he would not be the one on the receiving end of that boy's wrath. At least he hoped so.

Leorio pushed through the mass of people that had assembled before the buffet. He longed for fresh air. He needed to calm down.

"Leorio!" he heard someone call. He lifted his head and saw Laeta standing in front of him. Wrong moment, he decided and walked past her, shortly touching her bare shoulder. "Sorry, not now."

She didn't follow.

He took a deep breath - he would have time to regret that later.

His hands pushed open the large door of glass and he stepped out. A cold gust of wind swept across his face and made him shiver. Not far away he saw a fountain. Walking over, he sat himself onto the mural that encircled said fountain and sighed. He brushed his hair back, feeling the rough texture of the hair gel he had put into it that afternoon.

That had gone worse than expected. He knew _nothing_. Not where Kurapika was, not _how_ he was and certainly not when, where and if they would meet again. He felt utterly defeated. What a day. He just wanted to go home and sleep to forget. So he heaved himself up and left.

He did not see Laeta standing behind one of the huge windows, gazing after him with an unreadable expression.

* * *

As soon as he was home, he threw his jacket onto the floor and let himself fall into his bed. The soft mattress felt heavenly. He should probably take a shower but he really couldn't care less at that moment. He removed his shoes and turned over so he was lying on his side. Closing his eyes, he soon fell into blackness. Crimson eyes didn't leave him alone that night.

* * *

Killua could not help it. He was furious. Not only did Kurapika seemingly refuse to let them help but Leorio just left them standing there, completely clueless. If it were not for Melody, the both of them would not have a single idea what Kurapika had said.

He trotted behind Gon who was rushing through the buffet hall, obviously searching for Leorio. Killua knew that was futile as Leorio had already left. He could not feel a scrap of his Nen - he just didn't have the heart to bring that up now. It was still a touchy subject. Gon would realize on his own soon enough. Suddenly, Gon stopped. Killua looked around, not finding anything of interest until he followed Gon's line of gaze. _The woman from the market, huh._

Gon was already running over to her. Killua followed - like he always did.

The both of them were already talking. Laeta was shaking her head when Killua arrived. "I have no idea where he went, Gon. I just saw him walking away in that direction." As she said that, she pointed to the right. So he went back to the hotel after all, Killua thought.

"Did something happen?" she asked, causing Killua to look up at her with caution. No need to trust her just yet.

"No. But we need to find him. Thank you for your help," Killua quickly said and grabbed Gon's shoulder. "Come on, let's go back."

On their way back, Gon looked in Killua's direction, his brows furrowed. "Why did you lie to her?"

"Huh?"

"About Leorio, I mean."

"You are way too naïve, Gon," Killua scolded his friend. He held up his index finger. "We don't know her. This is not the kind of information you give to everyone you meet! It could get seriously dangerous for us and Kurapika if anything of value fell into the wrong hands. Just because the old man can't keep it in his pants does not mean we can hand out information about Kurapika - Someone who is in the mafia, someone who murdered a spider. You see where I'm going with this?"

"But she seems nice…" Gon insisted.

"Geez, you just don't get it, do you?"

Gon just shrugged his shoulders and directed his eyes back to the road. "I really do think she's no threat. I've dealt with enough bad people to recognize them."

Killua could not argue with that, so he shrugged as well and put his hands into his pockets. "If you say so, Gon."

He would protect him no matter what. No matter how many 'bad people' they encountered.

If Gon wanted to trust her, Killua could not stop him. He knew that.

It was no big deal.

If she abused his trust, she was as good as dead.

* * *

Leorio was pacing the room nervously. It had hit him full force when he had woken up that morning. He had flat out rejected Laeta the night prior. His first crush in roughly five years. It was not as if he regretted going home after his confrontation with Kurapika – he had needed the rest. But he wished he had handled the situation more elegantly.

 _'Sorry, not now.'_

The words repeated over and over in his head. How cheap did that sound? Like straight out of a tragic romance novel! He definitely didn't want his romance to be a tragedy.

And then there was still the issue with Kurapika that - even after a night full of sleep - didn't look any better.

He stopped pacing at that thought and Killua looked up from his slouched position on the couch. Leorio tore his hair and began pacing again. Killua looked back down at his phone. Gon was elsewhere – Leorio didn't know, but it had something to do with buying choco-robots and losing a game of rock-paper-scissors with Killua.

He had absolutely no clue what to do about Kurapika. His voice yesterday had sounded firm – so firm actually that Leorio doubted he would even pick up another call from Melody's phone number. That left him with problem number two for now: Laeta. He really didn't want to mess this up. Hesitantly, he took his phone out of his pocket and looked at it intensely almost as if it would solve all his problems for him. He gathered his courage and informed Killua that he would be outside for a while. Said boy grunted in response.

Leorio left the room, closed the door and searched for the number he had saved the day he had received it from Laeta. There it was; looking quite intimidating considering it was only an arrangement of different numbers.

He soon came to the realisation that Laeta picked up way faster than Kurapika. He almost jumped when an inquisitive 'Yes?' came from the other end only after the second ring.

How did speaking work again?

"Hello?" she repeated, sounding unsure.

"A-Um, hello. This is Leorio." He quickly said before she had the chance to hang up. He had had enough of being hanged up on.

"Oh… h-hello."

"Hello." Wait, he had said that already. "I-I wanted to apologize for yesterday. For walking away. There was something that really made me upset and – uh – angry. So I just… went home to calm down." What better to tell than the truth, right? "I'm really sorry," he added in a sincere voice.

Laeta sighed before she answered, "It's no big deal, really. I figured something was up. I'm glad you called. You apologized, so everything's good." Leorio almost let his phone fall in relief.

He resolved himself and asked, "Can I take you out for dinner? Y- You see, I have a lot to make up for." She seemed a little taken aback by that, but after a few seconds she agreed in a warm voice, "I would like that very much."

"I'll be there at seven."

"I work until eight."

"Then I'll be there at eight."


	4. Date Night

**Thanks to randylahey5446 for beta-reading this chapter!**

Review answer will be at the bottom.

* * *

 **Date Night**

As soon as Leorio arrived at the market, Laeta excused herself, claiming she had to change before going out with him. Even though Leorio assured her that the dress she was wearing was more than okay, she vanished into the building right behind her. A few seconds later she came out, wearing something more elegant instead of her floral patterned dress. He later learned that she had simply taken one of the dresses she sold off the clothes rack.

Leorio and Laeta were sitting in a restaurant by the river at around nine o'clock that same evening. He had chosen this place for its romantic ambience and the delicious sounding menu.

He wondered, though, if he had gone a bit overboard. Dozens of lanterns were illuminating the terrace they were sitting on, bathing everything in a warm light. He could see hundreds of little mosquitoes swarming around the light sources. Below them was the river that reflected the moon on its surface. The sound of the water moving, along with the clanking of glasses and the faint sound of music from inside the restaurant, had a soothing effect.

As a beverage, Leorio had chosen some red wine to go with their meal; which consisted of fish, potatoes, vegetables and some lemon sauce on the side. As soon as the sun had disappeared behind the horizon, it had gotten colder by the minute. Luckily, the terrace was protected from the wind.

"So," Laeta began, "have you ever been here before?"

Leorio just shook his head, "No. I just thought it sounded nice. I don't even live here, actually."

"It is nice." She took a sip out of her glass. "I thought you were studying, though? I don't mean to be rude, but how do you afford to travel?"

"I just came here to meet up with my friends, semester break, you know. I don't really want to use up my money by travelling. Though using up all that money would probably be quite difficult."

Laeta sat up and gulped down the drink she had just received. She coughed, wiped off the extra wine off of her lips with a napkin and looked at him, quizzically. "Um…" She cleared her throat and he realized he should probably say something. Her eyes were fixated on him.

"I'm a hunter," he said, as if that would explain everything.

And quite frankly, it did.

Laeta hadn't yet averted her eyes, so he could clearly see them widening to unnatural proportions. "I-I see. That's impressive!" Blood rushed to his cheeks, as he quickly tried to cover his embarrassment up with a laugh. He wasn't sure if it was working, but Laeta didn't seem to care anyway. "What do you intend to do with your hunter's license? I thought you just wanted to be a doctor."

Leorio composed himself. "You are right. That's exactly what I want. I really only took the Hunter Exam to get enough money together for medical school." Suddenly, he felt a burning sensation behind his eyes. The same burning sensation he always got when he thought about Pietro. _Just don't start crying now._ Leorio bit his tongue to prevent the tears from flowing. Somehow, the evening wind felt a lot colder than it had just a few moments ago.

Meanwhile, Laeta still looked completely flabbergasted. She was holding her fork in mid-air. The fish was starting to get cold. "Isn't the hunter exam notorious for being extremely difficult and," she furrowed her brows, "dangerous?"

He laughed awkwardly. This would have been his moment to shine. Damn his emotions. "Yes." It came out more watery than he had feared.

"Is something wrong?" Great, now she had noticed. Way to ruin the mood. "Did I say something wrong?"

"No!" he quickly amended. "It's just…" he sighed. "I want to be a doctor because," he felt his throat constrict painfully, as if it was choking out the words that he wanted to say. "…because my childhood friend died from a disease. It was curable, but we didn't have enough money for the treatment." The words just poured out of his mouth by now. "I want to be a doctor to help others for free, that's why I need money first and foremost."

There was silence for a few moments. Leorio was already regretting talking so much, when Laeta finally spoke up.

"That's admirable, Leorio. I hope you can fulfil your dream." When he looked up he saw her smiling at him. It wasn't as genuine as her other smiles, but he could still see honesty in it. "My grandmother died of cancer. It wouldn't have been curable. I'm not an idiot; I knew she was going to die the moment she was diagnosed. It was bad. But she was old and had a good life. I said I hated going to clinics, and I still do. I don't think that will ever change. But I saw many happy people leaving through those doors, going home cured. So I really hope you can do what you aspire to do."

Now it was Leorio's turn to be speechless. He just stared at her, and she stared at him. Slowly though, redness creeped on Laeta's cheeks, her brain seemingly catching on to her words, but she didn't once look away.

He smiled. "Thank you, Laeta." He looked down at his plate. "C'mon, let's continue eating before it gets cold." She nodded. For the rest of the evening, the mood stayed subdued.

Until something unexpected and morbidly coincidental happened.

In just the blink of an eye, the whole scenery descended into pure chaos.

It began with a loud explosion, which Leorio would later realize, was just a piece of the roof crumbling to the ground. Dust whirled up and clouded his vision. He could still feel the tremors under his feet. Confused cries from inside the restaurant reached his ears and somewhere to his right, he could hear Laeta crying out as well, but his eyes were fixated on the things happening in front of him. A large dustcloud had engulfed the restaurant and its terrace by now, throwing the people inside into a state of panic. Leorio coughed and held his breath as to not breathe in any of the dust.

The next thing he knew, there was a large figure landing right in front of him, back turned towards him. Leorio took a step back in surprise and narrowed his eyes in concentration. The figure was holding something. If Leorio had to guess, it looked like a big sack, but his vision was too unclear to tell for sure. The man then took a fighting stance and seemed to be waiting for something – or rather _someone_.

A second figure descended from the sky, this one more lithe and fast than the first one. When the figure landed and raised its head, familiar blue eyes flashed dangerously and Leorio reacted instantly.

"Oh shit!" he exclaimed and grabbed Laeta's arm. He saw a wooden beam flying their way and reflexively took a step back, in the process tumbling into Laeta who fell over the low railing and landed in the water with a loud 'splash'. He himself ducked out of the way and let the piece of wood fly over his head, landing in the river as well. Immediately, he leaned over the railing and looked for any sign of Laeta. She emerged from the water moments later and gasped for air. "Thank god," he muttered, and then yelled, "Swim to the riverside!" Laeta grabbed the piece of wood and nodded shakily. Leorio saw her swimming toward the little bay next to the restaurant.

He turned around. There was no one. Where were they? He looked up and saw them both standing on what was left of the rooftop. People were scurrying away in all directions, screaming names and tugging loved ones after them.

 _Of all the places to get into trouble, it_ had _to be where I went for with my date? Seriously, Killua?!_

When Leorio realized that they were both gone and there was no chance of following them, he broke his way through the debris and ran down to the riverside. _Please let her be okay._

When he arrived, Laeta was sitting on the ground, shaking from the cold- or was it from shock? Probably both.

"Are you alright?" he called and crouched down beside her. Her lips were tinted blue while her hands were gripping the thin dress on her body so hard her knuckles were turning white. Thinking on his feet, he took off his jacket and laid it around her shoulders. Her skin felt ice cold to his hands. "Laeta?" He shook her shoulders, first gently and then rather aggressively. "Laeta!" He _really_ needed her to respond. "Can you hear me?"

"Yes," she replied shakily but surprisingly firm. Leorio sighed in relief, but he knew it was way too soon to relax completely.

"I'll bring you home with me for now; I need to make sure you don't suffer from hypothermia. Come on." He grabbed her under her armpits and heaved her up on her feet. She managed to stand, but held onto him for support.

"Let's go."

* * *

Killua could barely see anything through the dust. His lungs were longing for fresh air, but he needed to find that guy. Suddenly, he saw him jumping over the collapsed building and into the night. Killua followed without hesitation. He couldn't let him escape. He wouldn't allow it. He chased him through the city, seeing houses flash by, until they entered the forest.

Killua clicked his tongue. _He's annoyingly fast._

Having had enough of chasing him, he braced himself to use his electricity. Slowly, his skin began to prickle all over as he felt the familiarity of his Hatsu spreading through his whole body.

He had chased down the guy before he was even able to go another two steps. When the big guy realized his way forward was blocked, he turned left in a desperate attempt to escape – but there was Killua already, as well. Running out of options, the man raised his fist and reached back to land a punch. Killua ducked, took a step forward and hit him in the stomach instead, careful not to use any electricity while doing so. Big guy staggered back and coughed. His face contorted in anger.

"You little flea!" he screamed at the top of his lungs, trying to strike with his foot this time. When his foot reached the spot where Killua had just been, the boy was already standing behind him. He aimed with his fist, and struck a punch right to the man's spine.

After a painful moan, he finally let what he had held in his arms the whole time fall to the ground. He threw one glance back at Killua. His face said it all. He looked like he wanted to cower in fear and nothing but his pride held him back from falling on his knees and begging for forgiveness. Who could fault him? Killua's eyes must have looked terrifying, without any scrap of mercy in them.

The man fled the scene, leaving behind the bundle of green he had dropped. Killua resisted his instinct to chase the man down and crouched down instead.

He heaved Gon into his arms. Time to go back.

* * *

Leorio was sitting next to Laeta, who was currently sleeping in his bed, when Killua arrived at their hotel room. He heard the door open, turned his head and sprang to his feet immediately.

"What happened?! Are you alright? You suddenly vanished!" He paused, breathing in sharply through his nose. "And what in the hell happened to Gon?" The boy was lying in Killua's arms and seemed to be completely unresponsive. His trained eyes quickly scanned them both for any obvious, external injuries. When he couldn't find any, he relaxed his shoulders. And only then could he feel a surge of pain travelling from his shoulder down his back. He must have hit something while running through the debris.

"Calm down. He's okay. He was just knocked unconscious." Killua's explained and bit his lip, Leorio assumed to keep his anger in check. "He was kidnapped."

"What?! Why?"

"I don't know!" Killua answered exasperated, while placing Gon on his bed and sitting down himself. "I would like to know that myself, honestly."

They kept quiet for a while, each of them being lost in their own thoughts. Blue eyes then wandered to Leorio and glanced behind the man. "What's with her?" He nodded his head in Laeta's direction.

Leorio looked back at her and pulled the blanket a bit higher until it touched her chin. "She fell into the river. I'm just making sure she's okay."

"You know," Killua stated, "He will probably come back."

Leorio nodded in approval after a moment. A bad feeling began to spread in his stomach, making him feel ever so slightly nauseous. Why would someone try to kidnap Gon? Gon of all people? He couldn't imagine anyone holding a grudge against a boy like him.

Killua stood up and brushed some of the dust off of his shorts.

"Where are you going?" Leorio asked, raising his eyebrow as the boy walked to the door. Killua stopped in his tracks and looked him in the eyes. "I'm going to look if I find something. Maybe I can make out where he went off to."

"And then?"

"Just looking for now. If there is more than one guy after Gon, we need to know."

Even though that was a good idea and probably more than true, Leorio felt worry clouding his judgement. But Killua was quick to soothe him – in his own standoffish way.

"Idiot! Tailing people is as usual for me as masturbating probably is for you."

"Hey!"

"Do you want to wake up the whole hotel? Jeez, I was just kidding, old man." Killua appeased with an expression that practically screamed ' _Don't be a buzzkill_ '.

He hesitated for a moment, before he grabbed the door handle. "Just make sure Gon is okay, I'll probably be back in about an hour or two."

Leorio nodded. "Gotcha. Be careful."

"Whatever." And the door closed with a final _clack_.

Leorio grimaced in sympathy. He too, must have had a stressful evening.

Standing up, he walked over to Gon and looked at him intensely. His clothes were dirty and torn in some places, but when he pushed back his clothes in search of bloody wounds and felt for broken bones, he couldn't find anything of concern. Apart from a few scratches to his face, he seemed to be doing okay. Well, if you took the whole kidnapping-thing out of the equation. Leorio took off Gon's shoes and covered him with a blanket.

He had a long night ahead of him.

* * *

It took another thirty minutes for Laeta to finally wake up. She stirred and her eyes immediately fell upon Leorio. He grinned awkwardly. "How are you, Laeta?"

"I'm fine," she answered his question in a raspy voice, "Still cold, but fine." Laeta stretched and looked around the room, taking everything in. Then she clapped her hand over her mouth and whispered, "I didn't now Gon was already asleep. I'm sorry."

Leorio remained silent.

"What? What's wrong?"

"He is not asleep."

Laeta furrowed her brows in confusion. "What do you mean? I don't understand." She was still whispering at that point. It would not stay that way for too long, Leorio thought.

"He's unconscious," he explained in a calm voice. Her eyes widened in shock nevertheless.

"What happened?" Concern resonated with her words. Then, finally, on her face dawned realization. "Yes, _what happened?_ " There was a hint of panic in her voice now and Leorio tried to soothe her immediately.

"It's okay!" He touched her shoulder and squeezed gently. "Do you not remember what happened?"

"I remember clearly! But that doesn't answer any of my questions!" she snapped.

Leorio was taken aback by her outburst.

"We don't know either. Killua is investigating." That seemed to be the wrong thing to say.

"Excuse me?" Now she just sounded scandalized. "What do you mean 'Killua is investigating'?"

Leorio looked at her with a contemplating look. "He is searching for the guy who kidnapped Gon and destroyed the restaurant."

"Gon was kidnapped?!" Oh god. He just made it worse, didn't he? She shook her head violently, her hair whipping from side to side. "And anyway, what were you thinking, letting Killua search for that man? Are you insane?"

"Calm down, Killua can handle himself."

"He's a child! You don't send a child after a criminal! How irresponsible can you be?"

"He's fifteen."

"You are not helping your case, Leorio."

"He's also a hunter," he added. Leorio really hoped that would make her calm down and look at the situation rationally.

"I don't care! Do you even understand what I'm saying? He is _fifteen_." She emphasized her last word and looked at him with narrowed eyes. Leorio looked right back. He opened his mouth to say something, when she threw back her blanket. "I cannot believe you. I am going to bring him back. That's just ridiculous." Laeta stood up, squared her shoulders and hurried out the door.

Leorio actually flinched when he heard the door slam shut. For a moment he just sat there, completely out of it. When he realized what just happened, he sprang to his feet and left the hotel room as well.

True, Killua _could_ handle himself. He knew that.

If _Laeta_ could handle herself, though, he was not so sure.

* * *

 **Banana:** Thank you for reading! Also: Thanks for the compliment, I try my best. :)

Ouch, I'll correct the mistake, thanks for pointing it out. I'm glad you're enjoying it so far, I hope I'll keep you interested.


	5. Chase

**Thanks to randylahey5446 for beta-reading!**

He reminded me that Killua does not, in fact, need a flashlight here since he has Gyo. The wonders of Nen...

* * *

 **Chase**

Leorio stood in the hallway, looking left and right frantically.

He coursed as he realized that Laeta had already gotten away while he had been busy sitting on the bed and staring at the door. Leorio was about to run after her, when Gon's face flashed before his eyes. He couldn't leave him here alone - no way. If those people were after Gon, it would be stupid to leave him laying here without protection. He would not be offering him on a silver platter. There was still the ominous feeling of dread when he thought about Laeta running around the city alone, though.

"Damnit!" Leorio turned around, went back to Gon's bed and stared at the boy. They would all owe him something at the end of this night.

* * *

Laeta was rushing through the city, her hands clenched into tight fists. Breathing got harder with every step she took, but she was determined to find Killua.

She still couldn't believe Leorio had just let him go. Never in her life would she have imagined Leorio to be so utterly reckless as to endanger a child's life like that. He was an adult, for god's sake! In a situation like this, the proper thing would be to call the police or to at least take care of it on his own. He was a hunter, after all.

Her heart was almost bursting out of her chest by now. She hoped with every fiber of her body that she would find Killua unscathed, before he got into any trouble. The streets were completely emptied. She estimated it to be around one or two in the morning. Lanterns were only sporadically placed and gave very little light. A few times she almost stumbled over her own feet, only then realizing how exhausted she still felt. Shaking her head, she quickened her steps. No time to think about that now. She was sure that the panic would come back if she let these thoughts come forth through her still clouded mind.

Did Leorio give her any medication or was she just that out of it? She stopped and took a few deep breaths.

A crossroad. Which way should she go? Left, right, straight ahead?

Eventually, she decided to go back to where the restaurant was. She thought that would be the most logical thing to do. Following her instincts, Laeta hurried back to the restaurant, arriving there only a few minutes later.

Her eyes widened. Debris was laying everywhere, blocking her way to the terrace. To her left, she found the pile of wood to be a little lower.

Crouching down, she wanted to take off her shoes when she realized that she was wearing slippers. She frowned and looked down at herself.

Her pretty black dress was gone. Instead, it was replaced with a simple shirt, along with some baggy trousers.

Leorio was a doctor, she told herself. No need to be embarrassed. She shook her head violently: No _time_ to be embarrassed!

Slipping out of her slippers, she set one foot onto the debris. It seemed to be stable enough. Slowly and cautiously, she set her other foot down and stood up. So far, so good. She began to crawl upwards. It all went well, until she set foot onto a loose beam. Laeta immediately lost control of the situation.

She tumbled down, taking the beam with her and burying herself under a few pieces of wood.

She coughed, opened her eyes, and tried to move her legs. Relieved, she realized that nothing heavy had landed on top of her. She crawled out carefully and took a few shaky steps back. Since when did she act so foolishly? Calming down her rapid breathing, she tried to think of another solution. There had to be another way to reach the terrace. Laeta walked around for a bit, until she found a gap big enough to slip through. Gathering all the courage she had left, she squeezed herself in. Dust fell and she had to close her eyes. Her feet moved inch by inch. The more she moved, the more she wished she had stayed on the other side

When she finally stepped out, she noticed how badly her knees were shaking. She reprimanded herself and closed her eyes for a moment. Then she began to walk again. Her eyes were scanning the area in search of the white-haired boy. He couldn't be overlooked so easily in the middle of the night, luckily. But all she saw were tables that had been turned over, broken chairs lying around and glasses thrown everywhere. Laeta flinched as she felt a splinter drilling into the bottom of her right foot.

She stopped.

"What in the world am I doing," she sighed, looking around, feeling lost.

She stood alone in the middle of a fallen down house, searching for a teenager, while a probably murderous man was running free around the city.

No, forget about feeling lost, she felt like an idiot.

She limped to a wooden beam and sat herself down, pulling the splinter out of her foot. For a while, she just looked at the blood as it oozed out of the wound. The red liquid streamed down to her toes and dripped to the ground in small drops. It must have been a pretty deep wound to bleed that much, she mused. She let her head fall into her hands and barely managed to hold back the tears. It was just too much at once.

"What are you doing here?"

Laeta raised her head so fast she heard her neck crack. She immediately calmed down when she saw Killua standing in front of her, both of his hands casually hidden inside his pockets. He didn't seem in the least bit upset or alarmed. There was just a hint of suspicion and wariness in his expression, though. Laeta also thought she could see his eyes speaking a silent warning to her.

She swallowed.

"I was looking for you," she said, as Killua narrowed his eyes.

"I can't let you run around alone while those… people are still out there."

" _Those_ people? Was there more than one?" Now he seemed interested. She looked at him curiously.

"Well," she said slowly, "there were at least two people attacking this restaurant." She indicated the area with her head.

Killua relaxed his shoulders, looking relieved.

"How did you even get the idea to go looking for them? It's too dangerous. You should come back with me."

Killua looked unimpressed. He took a while to ask, "Where is Leorio?"

Laeta looked to the ground in shame. For Killua, this seemed to be answer enough. He sighed and let his shoulders fall. "Call him," he said sternly, turned around and started to walk off. Before he turned the house corner, he looked at Laeta one more time. "And don't follow me!" Then, he was gone.

Laeta sprang to her feet and jogged over to the corner, but Killua was nowhere to be seen. It was as if the earth had swallowed him up. Strange boy.

Turning around again and leaning against the wall, Laeta felt downright stupid. How could a fifteen-year-old boy not be affected by this and she, a twenty-one year old women, was scared out of her mind, while sitting pitifully by herself on some debris in the middle of the night.

She was struggling to make the right decision; follow Killua further, or go back to the hotel?

The decision was made for her when she saw Leorio walking towards her, carrying a still lifeless Gon on his back.

Right then, she felt like a little child herself. Like she was about to be scolded. She really needed to think before acting on her whims.

* * *

Killua was running through the forest in search of the place he had fought the man earlier, when he heard leaves rustling behind him. He stopped immediately, turning his head and narrowing his eyes, as he searched the area for a pursuer. The forest was dense; trees surrounded him and the light of the moon barely shone through, making it difficult to see anything at all. He had to trust his hearing – and his hearing told him to be cautious. He didn't move for a few seconds until he deemed the threat gone. It had probably just been a wild animal.

After he had run around for a few minutes, he finally found the area he had been looking for. But he had to come to the conclusion that nothing of interest had been left behind by the guy. He found nothing but a few burnt leaves and branches, probably having been affected by his own electricity. The charcoaled leaves crumbled between his fingers and fell to the floor in little pieces.

Killua was sure he had injured the man. Blood had to be around here _somewhere_. Looking left and right to make sure he was alone, Killua used Gyo.

If there really was blood on the ground, there should also be some aura attached to it. He let his eyes travel across the ground, searching, and moved a few leaves out of the way with his foot.

As he looked intensely, he found faint waves of aura floating over the ground.

Bingo!

Following the path of blood like this, however, would be extremely risky and conspicuous. Running around with his Nen flaring up in enemy territory was a bad idea.

Having an idea, he entered Zetsu instead. Immediately, the world around him got a lot more intense. He could feel every change of temperature -no matter how slight – and, more importantly, he could discern the residue aura belonging to the blood. It was so slight, one could have easily mistaken it for a subtle gust of wind, or tiny raindrops hitting the skin – but he knew better.

Cautiously, he took a few steps forward. He soon realized that it required all of his concentration not to lose sight of the path of blood. If he took a step too far to the right or too far to the left, the aura he felt decreased in intensity. It decreased to the point, to where it was pretty much non-existent.

For a moment, he questioned if this was really necessary, but then he thought about Gon lying unconscious on his bed back at the hotel.

 _Hell yes_ it was necessary.

Not to mention that, if that woman got caught up in this, Leorio would not be happy. And, after all, Killua had to admit that getting someone innocent in danger's way was not his intention either.

After walking an estimated way of three miles, he saw something dark appearing in the distance. He advanced. He focused his attention on two tasks: Keeping his eyes open and alert, and not making any sound – which was admittedly hard on the forest ground. His breath was flat and as silent as he could manage.

As he came closer, he realized the dark shadow was a building. Not just _any_ building, though, it was a legitimate bunker. Killua stopped, and looked around.

Nothing.

His heartbeat got more noticeable, as did his breath.

Slowly, he approached. There was a small window embedded into the concrete wall. He pressed himself against the cold, stony surface, craned his neck and peered inside. The only thing he could make out were a few candles lightning up the room, but there seemed to be no people around. This gave him enough confidence to look through the window properly. He narrowed his eyes. The room was extremely small and rather empty. A table, one stool and an armoire – that was it.

Killua dashed around the corner of the bunker and found what he had been looking for: the door. Taking in a few deep breaths, he opened the wooden door – which had obviously been placed there recently as it looked fairly new – and took a cautious step inside. From there, he could see a narrow staircase leading downwards.

That's when he heard voices.

So there was definitely at least one other person involved in this. As he stood there he could feel faint waves of uncontrolled aura creeping up the stairs. It let the hairs on his neck stand up. Those people were certainly not weaklings, that was for sure.

He stopped in his tracks and listened. Thank god he had never stopped using Zetsu. There was no way for them to find him unless they had heard him come in.

 _They will also notice you if they use En,_ his mind supplied helpfully.

Pushing that thought aside - because if they used En that extended up all the way to where he stood, they would have long realized they had a guest - he strained his ears and hoped for the best.

"You don't understand, he surprised me, and he was incredibly fast! I'm not kidding, there was no way in hell I could have outrun him!" Killua recognized this voice; it was the muscular man from earlier.

"A snotty nosed kid, seriously? How pathetic are you?" guy number two grumbled. "You know the boss wants to see results. You should have worked long enough for him by now to know he is not a very patient man."

' _The boss', huh?_

Killua felt his heart lightly thud against his chest.

This was not going in a favourable direction. One person alone, he could have dealt with right here and now. A whole organization was a different story. He cursed inwardly; just great.

"Did you just say I'm pathetic?! I would have liked to see you in my position!"

"Guys," a woman cut in sharply. "Stop it, right now. I've had enough of your stupid discussions. We'll just have to try again."

There was silence for a moment. Killua held his breath in anticipation. Had they noticed him?

He was getting ready to escape, when the second guy tsked disdainfully. "I guess you're right. I'll go call the boss. What a mess."

Then, Killua heard steps coming up the stairs.

He was out of the bunker faster than he would have ever deemed possible. No way was he getting caught now. Taking three of them on would be a little bit too risky – and who knew how many more there were? He opted for choice number two instead; going back to the hotel to figure out how to get them all out of this safely.

When they attacked again, they needed to have a plan ready. Because with Gon unable to fight, they were practically down to a one-man army which consisted of, well, him.

Of course Leorio would be with them, too. He just didn't know yet if it was realistic to count him in.

Killua continued running until he was sure he was away far enough. He took a few deep breaths, let his heartbeat calm down, kicked his foot and watched as the leaves flew through the air.

Well, he had learned what he had wanted to know. Now they just needed to clean up this mess.

When the first leaves touched the ground again, Killua was already long gone.

* * *

"No." Her voice was firm. Leorio gulped. "I said I am sorry, okay? But letting Killua go was irresponsible and idiotic," she said, her eyes sparkling with determination. But there was also something other in her eyes that Leorio couldn't quite understand. "I'm an adult and can take responsibility for the stupid things I do – Killua is a teenager, and having been one, you should _know_ how reckless they can be."

Leorio sighed and let go of Laeta's foot, which he had been patching up. His tie was ruined, having steadily soaked up the blood until they had arrived at the hotel. It wasn't as if he cared much for that, but he struggled to make Laeta _understand_.

"Look," he tried again, "Killua may not look like it, but he is very capable." She looked like she was about to protest, but he continued before she could utter a single word. "Actually, he's probably more capable than I am." At that, Laeta looked at him, warily.

Her hair was still unkempt from sleeping, and her – _his_ – shirt was covered in dirt and torn open in several places. But his tie had definitely gotten the short end of the stick.

He had liked it, too…

Maybe he _did_ care about that. A little.

"Listen," he continued, "you just have to trust me on that. I would never have let him go if I wasn't sure he was up to the task."

Actually, he didn't really know if Killua was up to the task. True, the boy had incredible talent and a background that gave him a head start over most other people, but he had also seen him struggle against the phantom troupe. Not to mention, from what he had heard and seen himself, their fight against the chimera ants had been everything but a walk in the park.

But he also knew that he could trust him to act level-headed and think rationally.

He could trust him, period.

And anyway: Laeta didn't need to know any of that. If Killua couldn't find any information on them, they would come back for Gon – and that particular boy definitely was not up to the task as long as his Nen was rendered useless. Choose one evil over the other.

She looked at him doubtfully and started kneading her hands. "Still…"

"Just… trust me, please. He said he will be back. Just wait."

They both quieted down, until they heard a tired groan coming from the other bed.

Leorio looked over Laeta's shoulder and saw Gon slowly sitting up, rubbing his eyes.

"Gon!" Leorio was up and by his side all before Gon was even able to say anything. "How do you feel?"

Gon blinked tiredly. "Leorio? What happened? Man, I feel groggy," he complained, rubbing his forehead with his hand. He looked around the room, seemingly taking everything in.

All of a sudden, Gon became excited to see that there was a special guest.

"Ah!" Gon exclaimed, straightening his posture and putting his hand away from his head. "Laeta, hi!"

"Good lord!" Leorio exclaimed. "Didn't you say you were groggy? Please refrain from yelling while my ear is right next to your face, would you?" he grumbled, and covered his ear resentfully. He heard Laeta stifle a laugh and turned around in a flash, pointing an accusing finger at her.

"Not funny!"

"I'm sorry, Leorio," she amended, but wasn't able to suppress the corners of her mouth twitching.

Leorio turned back to Gon and was about to take a look at the cut on his cheek, when there were three knocks on the door. Laeta and Leorio exchanged a glance, nodding in unison. An enemy would probably not knock politely.

Standing up, Leorio went over to the door and opened it in one confident swing. Just as he had expected, Killua was standing in front of him, his eyebrows furrowed and his lips pressed together into a thin line.

"Hey," he greeted the boy. Killua greeted back and walked around Leorio, stepping into the room.

Leorio raised an eyebrow. "Everything okay?"

"Killua, where were you?" Gon asked immediately. There weren't any accusations in his voice, just curiosity and clear worry for his friend.

Killua smiled at Gon, obviously trying to reassure him, walked over to his bed and sat down, sighing.

"Okay," he eventually said, "we really need to talk."


	6. Nen

**Thanks to randylahey5446 for beta-reading!**

* * *

 **Nen**

The sun was already appearing on the horizon, as Killua explained what he had found out.

To say that the atmosphere was tense would have been an understatement. Laeta could feel sweat running down her neck, and she knew it wasn't from the heat outside; and neither did the shaking of her hands stem from the cold air the air conditioner provided.

Gon was sitting next to Leorio, looking at Killua with big, alert eyes. Laeta found it difficult to read him, he seemed to remain entirely unaffected by the tales of his friend, and she found that fact unnerving; one would think the victim of this whole disaster would feel at least a little bit frightened, but of all the people in the room, Gon looked like he was able to keep his cool the most. Moreover; he hadn't even lost his cool to begin with.

Killua on the other hand seemed to be calm and composed on the outside, but where the boy's body language and choice of words let nothing on, his eyes spoke volumes for themselves. It was clear he was upset; Laeta couldn't tell exactly if he was frightened or angry, but he was upset.

Leorio was listening carefully, nodding from time to time. In contrast to Killua, who tried to suppress his emotions, and Gon, who just showed emotions totally unfitting of the situation, it was Leorio whom she could read like an open book. His teeth were pressing down onto his bottom lip, while his hands were clenched together in his lap. In his eyes, there was a fierce spark with just a hint of fear. His glasses, reflecting the morning sun, obscured her vision most of the time. But when she caught a glimpse of his eyes, she almost visibly flinched.

Those eyes had looked so friendly just yesterday…

"Anyway."

The finality in Killua's voice ripped her out of her thoughts. "I don't know if we have a chance against them, they seemed to be pretty decent Nen users, and they probably outnumber us by a large margin."

Laeta arched her eyebrow. She had sat calmly, listening to Killua without intervening. All she wanted to say, she had already said to Leorio, and she didn't feel like her words would change anything. That particular sentence, though, caught her attention.

"At the risk of sounding stupid," she interrupted, as all the heads turned in her direction, "but what the heck is a 'Nen user'?"

Killua looked at her as his eyes narrowed, and right then, she wondered if she had missed out on some important piece of common knowledge.

Gon looked at her contemplatively. His chin was propped onto his hand and his eyes reflected the morning sun, appearing even more golden than usual.

"Would someone care to explain?" she asked, looking at the three people around her.

"You really don't know, huh?" Killua remarked, staring at her.

Had he been staring the whole time? She wanted to adjust her messy hair, force of habit, when she realized that it was a futile attempt. Instead, she shook her head. Killua hummed in contemplation, and then he smiled.

She addressed Leorio next.

"Am I supposed to know this?"

"No, no you are not, don't worry. Killua probably just had the wrong assumptions."

 _What kind of assumptions?! What is Nen?_

While she felt like freaking out a little bit inside, she waited in anticipation for a sensible explanation.

"It's difficult to explain, I don't really know where to start," Leorio admitted. "Since you're not a Hunter, I think you aren't even supposed to know about that." He threw Killua a heated glare, but the boy just raised his hands, as if to say that it was not his fault she got dragged into this.

Which was true, but it didn't solve the problem at hand.

"Just try, I'm really curious."

"Yes, I know you are curious. I got that the first time I met you," he retorted, probably without thinking. Laeta blushed.

"That's absolutely not the point here. No, you are missing the point, big time."

Leorio sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "I know. I'm sorry." His glance wandered to Gon and Killua, before it came to rest on Laeta.

"Okay, I'll explain." He paused. "At least, I'll try."

Laeta squared her shoulders and looked at him intensely.

Leorio took a deep breath. "Basically, Nen is your aura."

What followed was by far the most complicated thing Laeta had ever had explained to her. Leorio practically assaulted her with terms she had never heard before. Her head felt as if it would explode any second.

The longer he explained, the more she realized in what kind of situation she currently was, and an uneasy feeling settled in her stomach. She couldn't quite grasp everything just now, but if there was one thing she got from the conversation, it was the warning of how dangerous this 'Nen' could be.

Especially for her, because she wasn't able to use it.

At the end of the lesson, Laeta was played out, plain and simple. The night itself had been a horror trip and the following morning had done nothing to relieve her stress. If anything, she felt more stressed now that the graveness of the situation had caught up with her.

Out of the corner of her eyes, she could see Leorio looking at her, his eyes shining with concern, and maybe a tiny bit of sympathy.

Laeta stood up and smiled weakly. "I should probably go home for today. Thanks for telling me."

"Are you sure you're okay on your own?"

Laeta was on the verge of clarifying that she was old enough, but she appreciated the concern and thus bit her tongue. Instead, she nodded. "Yes, yes I am. I just want to lie down."

She inspected her clothes. "Can I have my dress back? I'd like to change before going home."

"Sure thing, wait a moment." Leorio stumbled over his feet as he stood up and hurried into the bathroom, leaving Laeta alone with the two boys.

"So…" she drawled, "you both know Nen? I mean, you can use it?" The new word still felt strange on her tongue.

"Yep!" Gon exclaimed happily, swinging his legs. "It's really not that difficult one you get the hang of it." His eyes lit up. "What about you learn it, too? It would be fun!"

"Idiot, it isn't _that_ simple," Killua scolded. "She wouldn't learn it the way we did, through initiation. She'd have to mediate daily over a long period of time!" He faced Laeta. "If you really want to give it a go, you'd best ask Leorio. I don't think he took the shortcut when learning it."

 _First, I'd have to understand everything…_

"Why should she ask me? What for?" Leorio came back into the room, the folded dress slung over his arm. He handed it over to Laeta and arched an eyebrow at Killua.

"Gon asked her if she wanted to learn Nen," Killua explained flippantly.

Leorio's eyes widened in surprise. "You sure about that?" he asked her, doubt colouring his voice.

"I-I haven't decided on anything yet. They just suggested it."

"Okay then," Leorio said and scratched the back of his head and sighed. "Let me walk you home."

Laeta nodded in agreement and excused herself to the bathroom, wanting to change into her clothes. Absentmindedly, she realized that her clothes were not only dry, but pleasantly warm. Leorio must have put them onto the heater to dry.

Laeta rubbed her eyes, struggling to keep them open.

She really, _really_ wanted to lie down.

* * *

Their walk back to Laeta's apartment was silent. Laeta didn't know what to say. Everything that threatened to leave her mouth were questions and questions on end. Frankly, she didn't know how to cope yet. The ache on the bottom of her feet where the shard of glass had pierced the skin only served as a reminder for a turbulent night she'd rather forget.

"I'm really sorry for what happened," Leorio suddenly said. When Laeta turned her head and looked at him, she could see the circles under his eyes. A night without sleep did that to people, Laeta mused. His suit was askew, and his hair stood out in all directions. He looked as wiped out as she felt.

"It's not your fault."

And it wasn't, Laeta knew that.

"For what it's worth," she added, smiling, "I still enjoyed the evening."

She lowered her head and looked to the ground, feeling the blood rush to her cheeks. "Thank you. For, you know, patching me up and everything."

"Ah, no problem! I'm a doctor, after all, aren't I?" He sounded so confident, Laeta found a sincere smile creep onto her face.

"Oh really? I could have sworn you told me you were still studying," she teased.

"Details!" Leorio fired back, grinning. "I'll have you know that I'd be able to pass a final exam right now."

"I don't doubt that for one second, Doctor."

It was his turn to blush, and Laeta smirked in triumph.

When they arrived at Laeta's place a few minutes later, they both stopped, looking at each other.

With every second, Laeta felt her heart rate increase. How was she supposed to say goodbye? Was a handshake okay? Would a hug be exaggerated?

Eventually, Leorio extended a hand, and Laeta was grateful he took the initiative. She placed her hand into his.

It still felt incredibly awkward.

They said their goodbyes, and Laeta turned around to open her door.

At least, she tried to open it.

It was locked, naturally. She wanted to grab for her keys, but her hand found nothing to hold onto.

She gulped, thought for a moment, and then it hit her. Her keys were in her purse, and her purse was at the restaurant - or whatever was left of the restaurant.

Great, just great.

She turned around and found Leorio looking at her with a questioning look in his eyes.

"My purse," she just said, barely holding back a pout, and she practically saw the realization dawning on his face.

They looked at each other for a moment, before a laugh erupted in Laeta's chest.

"I need to get it."

"You could stay with us," he suggested.

She chuckled. "In a hotel room with three beds? I still need my ID, anyway."

"Right," he said, "I'll go with you."

Laeta slumped her shoulders, took a deep breath and smiled. "Let's go."

* * *

Around an hour later, Laeta was standing in front of her door again, turning the key.

When she thought about all the work she still had to do, she felt like crying, cursing and falling asleep all at the same time.

She looked at her wristwatch (how was it still in one piece?) and sighed when she realized the time: almost nine o'clock in the morning. Entertaining the idea of simply taking a day off, she entered her apartment. The cool air inside contrasted with the heavy heat outside and made her shiver.

Laeta closed the door behind her and let her purse fall to the floor, sighing. When she heard the resounding crash as the purse hit the floor, she flinched in regret; that had to have been her phone. Crouching down, she searched for it and took it into her hands. She turned it around. It didn't seem to have any external damage. When she pressed a few buttons, the screen lit up normally.

She made a face when she saw two new messages gracing her screen. One was from her friend Emalia and the other one from her mother.

She decided to read her friend's message first. Skimming over it to get the gist of it - an invitation for dinner – she made her way to the kitchen. Deciding she was not in the mood to go look at her calendar to check for a suitable date, she exited the message and opened the second one.

Laeta sighed.

Her mother had always been very vocal and chatty, be it in person or over text. The usual themes came up: asking her how she was, telling her of new ways she intended to decorate the living room (Laeta knew those ideas would never come into fruition) and complaining about trivial things no one should even care about. Laeta took a sip of her coffee, as she read through the last lines.

Immediately, she grimaced.

Milk and sugar, how had she forgotten? Black coffee was Leorio's thing.

When she thought about Leorio, feelings she didn't want to deal with at the moment bubbled in her stomach, and unpleasant memories scratched at the forefront of her mind, begging her to pay attention to them.

It wasn't as if she didn't like Leorio, she just felt as if she was on the verge of stepping into a world she would not be able to handle.

She threw in three pieces of sugar and more milk than usual, and then she took a big gulp. It burned her throat and the sweetness was a little bit too much, but it was just what she needed.

Her eyes travelled to her bed in the room next door. It looked incredibly inviting and cozy, the white linen draped over the fluffy pillows, and a little plushie pig she had gotten when she was five lying where her head would normally be. She'd never had the heart to throw it away, it was a loyal companion.

 _Yep, definitely taking a day off._

Sometimes, running her own business really payed off.

* * *

Gon was lying barefooted on his bed, nibbling on a granola bar Killua had given him a few minutes ago. To get some nutrition into him, his friend had said. Gon's thoughts were jumping around, and he couldn't get his mind to slow down, no matter how hard he tried. While he felt as if his head might explode from all the thinking, he always came back to one thing; his kidnapping – or the attempted kidnapping. Did what happened to him count as kidnapping if his kidnapper never reached the desired destination?

He resisted the urge to whack himself over the head for his meandering, rather useless, thoughts. Instead, he bit hard into the granola bar, causing it to split in the middle. Half of the snack fell onto his bed.

"I gave you that to eat it, not to spread it over your bed," Killua remarked from the couch, pressing buttons on his phone. Gon guessed he was texting Alluka. "I'm not giving you a second one."

"I know you would, if I asked nicely," Gon said, his eyes twinkling.

"You wish! I bought them for myself."

"I figured. That explains why there's so much chocolate in them."

"I dare you to say anything against chocolate." Killua's voice was icy. He closed his phone and looked up, his eyes resting on Gon. "How's your neck?"

Gon moved his head from left to right experimentally. "Feels fine. Just a little bit stiff."

Killua stood up, made his way to his own bed and plopped down. "Just be careful not to get caught again."

Gon puffed his cheeks. "It's not as if I could have prevented it. He just barged in here and hit me unconscious." His brows furrowed. "Believe me, I would have sent him flying out the window if I had my Nen."

Killua was about to say something, when Gon heard the lock opening. He slid to the edge of his bed, as Killua tensed his shoulders. A moment later, Leorio walked into the room, throwing his key card onto the table next to the door. They both relaxed.

"Okay, boys," he said, looking exhausted, "pack your things; we're moving to another hotel. I already booked us a room."

Gon swallowed the last bit of his snack, as Killua nodded. "Good idea. I'm getting the stuff from the bathroom." He stood up and was about to leave for the bathroom, when Gon's voice stopped him in his tracks.

"Wait, what? Why are we moving?"

Killua turned his head. "They know where we are, it'd be idiotic to stay here."

"I don't think we should move."

"Are you stupid? Did you hear what I just said?"

"Yes, I heard you clearly," Gon said in an undefinable voice. "And that is exactly why I want to stay."

His friend raised an eyebrow, looking sceptical. "What are you getting at? Sometimes I really can't follow your thought process."

Gon paused, before he asked, "He hurt you, didn't he?" His voice was dead serious. Leorio looked at him with a startled expression, before he frowned at his other friend.

Killua narrowed his eyes. "What are you talking about?"

"Your right shoulder," he clarified, as Killua sighed.

"Gon…" he trailed off, sounding a mixture of annoyed and exhausted, but Gon wasn't having any of that.

"Don't think I didn't notice the way you flinched when you leaned back on the couch earlier!"

"That's nothing to worry about; it's just a little bruise. Don't make a fuss, I've had a lot worse."

Gon's eyes flashed. "That doesn't make it okay. I want to pay him back."

"And how, dare I ask?" Killua challenged, and then added, "Don't be stubborn. I have the Nen - I make the decisions."

"I have Nen, too," Leorio piped in.

"And you agree with me, great. That gives us majority as well. Suck it up, we're moving."

"Seriously, Gon. It's better if we hide for the time being. Especially if what you said is true and Killua is injured." Leorio said, and threw Killua inspecting look. "He needs to recover, as do I and you. We'll figure something out."

At the mention of his friend's injury, Gon reconsidered what he wanted to do.

For the second time that day, he wanted to hit himself. He'd promised himself to keep his anger in check, and he'd decided to stick by that promise – just like Ging had said. He felt his nails digging into his hands, before he relaxed them, taking a deep breath.

He would not repeat his mistakes.

Eventually, he nodded, and smiled sheepishly at Killua. "I'm sorry, I got carried away."

"It's okay. Let's just get this done, I'm hungry."

"You just ate three of those granola bars, how can you still be hungry?"

"Oh, shut up, will you?"

Gon just laughed and jumped to his feet. His eyes searched the room for his suitcase, but they stopped when they met Leorio's.

"Leorio?"

The older man hummed, indicating to Gon that he was listening.

"Can you take a look at Killua's shoulder?"

"Already on it, kid, already on it." And indeed, he was opening his medical kit.

And just like that, Gon owed Killua three boxes of chocorobots.

He owed him three boxes of chocorobots, merely to bribe him into cooperating with Leorio, who had tried relentlessly, and quite unsuccessfully, to take a look at his shoulder.


	7. Reunion

**Thanks to randylahey5446 for beta-reading!**

* * *

 **Reunion**

Melody was staring at her phone, trying not to overthink everything. The last two days had been exhausting for her to a degree she was not accustomed to. Sure, she was used to a fair amount of stress, but for some reason this issue had drained her on an entirely different level. Several times, she had been on the verge of typing in the number she wanted to call, before she stopped herself every time, wanting to avoid the disappointment she knew would follow.

Right then, though, she wanted to get it over with. No backing down this time.

Slowly, she picked up the phone and began to type. Her heart was pounding against her chest. Melody took a deep breath. She instantly calmed down and her heartbeat slowed down.

Her restlessness confused her. Normally, she was not one to lose her composure so easily, especially over something as trivial as a phone call. But the truth was, not only was she concerned for Kurapika's well-being, she also worried for their friendship. Travelling as much as she did, and having a life goal like her's didn't allow for deep, meaningful relationships. In Kurapika, though, she felt like she had found someone to confine in. He had accepted her, not reducing her to her outward appearance and he had been honest with her. She felt like she had seen his rawest side, like she knew him inside and out.

Before she even had the chance to change her mind _again_ , she could already hear the peeping of the dial tone. Biting her bottom lip, she waited. She felt the need to sit down. Choosing to sit down on a little wooden chair, she heard the phone on the other end being picked up.

Melody held her breath.

She waited for him to say something, but there was only silence. It didn't surprise her, but once more she regretted having abused his trust like she had.

Really, she should've known better.

"Don't worry," she said as calmly as she could manage, "it's me."

There was some shuffling on the other end, as if he was sitting down as well. But he still said nothing, waiting for her to continue.

"Are you okay?"

"Why do you call?" Kurapika didn't sound angry, not even disappointed – just exhausted. For some reason, that made Melody even more worried. An angry Kurapika she could handle, an utterly exhausted friend was an entirely different story.

It also didn't escape her how he hadn't answered her question, and she immediately felt bad for even asking it. "I want to apologize, and make sure you are doing alright. Like I promised I would."

She heard a mirthless chuckle on the other end. "That is why I picked up, you know. I knew you'd want to keep your promise. I figured you were probably pressured into giving them your phone, am I right?"

It wasn't her place to blame someone else for her mistakes, so she remained silent. Deep down, she felt some resentment for the three, but she knew better than to act upon such feelings.

"Where are you right now? I want to come over and see you."

Kurapika was clearly hesitating. For a long time, there was only breathing on the other end. Melody could also hear the speed of his heartbeat increasing. "Do you promise not to tell the other three anything? I really don't want them involved."

"I promise." She was determined to keep that promise. Never had she broken a promise in her life before, and she didn't intent so start with it now.

Kurapika sighed. "We are in Yorknew. Neon wanted to come back for a few days. There are some interesting gatherings happening right now."

Melody smiled to herself, feeling relief wash over her. She would be able to see him again.

It was her turn to hesitate. She was afraid to ask her next question, fearing it would send Kurapika back into his shell, but it needed to be asked. Even if she felt a little bit resentful, Leorio, Gon and Killua still deserved to know how Kurapika was doing and what she was up to.

"Can you give me Leorio's number? I won't tell him where you are, but I want to at least let them know that I'm checking up on you."

"I guess I owe them this much, don't I?" Kurapika asked, sounding defeated. Melody almost felt bad, but she knew it was necessary.

"I think so, Kurapika. They are all very concerned."

He sighed once more, but didn't protest any more. He told her a string of numbers, and Melody noted them onto a piece of paper.

"Where are you staying, in which hotel?"

"Just go to the old hotel we stayed at, hotel Beitacle. I'll send someone to come and get you."

"I understand." It made sense. He didn't want to tell her over the phone in fear of a third party listening in. "I'll wait there tomorrow evening, around seven o'clock."

"Okay."

"Thank you, Kurapika. Take care."

"You too." Then, he hung up.

* * *

It was a spur-of-the-moment decision, but Melody was determined to go through with it. Originally, she had wanted to just call them and be done with it, but now she felt like a personal visit was in order. Leorio had given her the address of the hotel, seemingly very confused by her call, but she had dodged his questions, assuring him she would explain everything to them in person.

She was standing in front of the hotel Leorio had told her they were staying in. Had she not kept her eyes open, she might have easily overlooked it. It was downright tiny, squeezed in between two much larger houses. It was more of a guesthouse than a hotel, really. The frontage was crumbling away and the windows were so dirty she couldn't see anything through them. Shrugging her shoulders, she went inside.

From the inside, it looked much more agreeable. The floor was made out of wood, while the walls were solid stone. It was pleasantly warm and just felt like a long lost home she never knew she was missing. Melody went to the reception desk and rang the bell. Immediately, an old, scrawny man came limping through a door, looking at her with interest in his eyes. His grey hair was thinning out, and his glasses were so dirty Melody doubted they helped him to see well.

"How can I help you?" His voice sounded as brittle as she thought his bones must have been.

"I'm searching for someone called Leorio Paladinight; he should be residing here with two of his friends. I called him earlier and told him I was going to visit him."

"Paladinight… I didn't get a message from him that he was expecting a visitor. Let me check which room he is in." The old man turned around and rummaged through some drawers. "Ah! Yes, here he is. That would be room 202, just up the stairs and to the right."

Melody blinked. She found it slightly unsettling how he just gave that information away to her, but she was not going to complain, so she thanked him and made her way to the stairs. How anyone was supposed to heave a suitcase up there beat her. It was way too narrow, not to mention extremely steep and tilted to the right a fair degree.

Melody stopped in front of room 202 and knocked. It didn't even take five seconds before the door opened. She had to admit, the room was really charming, decorated in yellow and lime green. Three beds were positioned next to each other, across from them a little table with two chairs. Gon and Killua were lounging on the small couch next to the table and Leorio was guiding her to an armchair where she sat down. She heard Leorio close the door behind her.

"Why did you want to meet up?" Leorio asked, as he went to get a little stool to sit on.

As soon as everyone was gathered, she decided to come right to the point. "I managed to contact Kurapika."

Leorio's eyes immediately lit up. Melody thought he looked like an excited puppy about to get his favourite treat. "Really? How is he? Did he say anything? Does he want to see us?"

"Jeez, calm down. Let her talk, for god's sake!" Killua exclaimed, but Melody could see the hope blooming in his eyes, as well. She smiled at him.

"I don't know much yet, but I'll be meeting up with him. As soon as I'm back, I'll let you know how he's doing."

"You know where he is?" Leorio asked, ignoring everything else.

"Yes," Melody confirmed, "and I'm not telling you where that is. I just wanted to let you know so you don't worry too much."

Leorio sighed heavily. "I guess there's no helping it. You already helped us once, and we know how that turned out. Kurapika really doesn't want to talk to us." He gritted his teeth, Melody could hear them grinding against each other. "Sorry, by the way, for causing you trouble," he added, looking to the floor in shame. "I guess it's better if you go alone. You have a talent for calming him down," he remarked, as Melody felt a smile brightening up her face.

"You should be careful out there," Gon suddenly interrupted. She looked at him, raising her eyebrow in a silent question. "There are some shady people in the city."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Well," Killua interrupted nonchalantly, "they mostly seem to be after us, but it can't hurt to be cautious. You never know."

Melody must have looked extremely confused, because it was only moments later that Gon finally dropped the bomb. "I was kidnapped."

Melody would later wonder how she didn't even flinch at that revelation. Maybe she just expected such things to happen by now. She had been a part of the mafia, after all. And her life had been anything but ordinary up until now. She doubted that fact would change anytime soon, too.

"I see. Thank you for warning me. But if they really are after you, you should be careful yourselves."

"Don't worry, we're doing all we can," Leorio assured her. Melody smiled. She knew that when it came to his friends, Leorio was to be trusted one hundred percent. She had seen how he had cared for Kurapika in Yorknew, and there was not a single doubt in her heart, that he expressed the same kind of concern and devotion to his other friends.

She stood up and looked at all three pairs of eyes. "I need to go; my flight will take off soon."

"Okay then, we'll be waiting to hear from you," Leorio said, and Melody nodded in assurance.

"You will. I'll call as soon as I know more."

Melody went out the door, down to the reception hall and finally outside. She took a deep breath. Time to board the airship.

* * *

As soon as Melody had left the room, Leorio plopped down onto his bed and made the bedstead squeak horribly. He sighed and let his fingers run through his hair.

"Well, at least we'll know how he is," he muttered, not sounding satisfied or happy in the least.

"I still want to see him, though," Gon protested half-heartedly. "He is our friend."

"And that is exactly why he doesn't want us to meet."

"But he is friends with Melody as well, isn't he? Why is she allowed to go?"

"Probably because she has her own reasons to have joined the mafia," Killua mused. "He doesn't want us to come because we would be there strictly because of him. He doesn't want us to get hurt because of him."

Leorio snorted. "That's pretty insightful, coming from you, Killua."

"Shut up! It's true, isn't it?"

"Probably," Leorio conceded.

"Leorio?" Gon asked.

"Hmm?"

"Have you told Laeta that we moved out of our old hotel? I think she should know…"

Leorio's eyes widened. "Crap!" He fumbled with his phone, took his jacket and went to the door. "I'll be outside, don't wreck the room."

"Don't be like that, we wouldn't do that," Killua mumbled.

Leorio looked at him with a raised eyebrow, causing his young companion to sigh in exasperation.

"Fine, whatever. Go talk to your crush."

Leorio wanted to deny Killua's observation, but he didn't have it in him to deny anything when he knew it was true.

"Shut up!" he retorted instead, opened the door and shut it behind him with a loud _bang_ , his cheeks flushed in embarrassment. He really needed to learn how to supress his blood flooding into his cheeks.

* * *

Melody hated flying, it made her feel sick. It was too high, way too high. Luckily for her, the flight to Yorknew was rather short. She got there the same evening, totally worn out.

Yorknew was as bustling as she remembered from the last time she had been there. This time, though, she had more time on her hands to truly pay attention to all the things the big city had to offer; a lot of buildings she hadn't even noticed, or little restaurants and souvenir shops she had overlooked.

She had to quell her thirst to explore in favour of reaching her meeting point. The hotel Beitacle was the exact opposite of the shabby guesthouse the three friends were staying in. It was modern, tall and its flawlessly cleaned windows reflected the sun, forcing her to shield her eyes. As she neared the entrance, she could see a man in a black suit standing there. Guessing it was her guide, but not being sure, Melody positioned herself on the other side of the entrance. It didn't take long for the man to turn his head and walk over to her.

"You must be Melody," he grumbled, not bothering to offer her a handshake.

Melody nodded in affirmation. "Yes, I am. So you have to have been sent here by Kurapika, I assume?"

"I was. Name's Frank. Follow me." Short and to the point, this man definitely wasn't big on words. His heartbeat was slow and calm, but heavy. Melody refrained from talking to him. She knew people like him; they preferred silence. They walked for an estimated fifteen minutes, before Frank stopped abruptly. Melody almost walked into his back, but was able to stop herself in time. She peered around him and took in the building before her. At least from the outside, it didn't look much different from the hotel Beitacle.

"Come in," Frank said, and Melody thought it sounded like a command. She stepped through the door, held open for her by Frank, and took in the entrance hall. Frank was beside her in a matter of seconds and led her through the hall to an elevator. They stepped out on the fifth floor and wandered through long hallways, ever so often taking a turn to the left or to the right. Frank finally stopped in front of room 544. He lifted his huge fist and knocked on the door. Melody saw the door shaking in its hinges.

Just a few moments later, the door was opened. She would have expected anyone, but not Kurapika himself. She instinctively wanted to take a step backwards, but resisted. Kurapika nodded to Frank, who bowed and disappeared through the hallway they had come from.

Melody took in Kurapika's appearance. He didn't look any different, wearing his suit and leaving his blond hair mostly uncut. In his eyes was the intensity she had gotten accustomed to while working with him. Absentmindedly, she noted that he was wearing his contact lenses again.

"Hello, Kurapika."

He smiled weakly. "Melody." He let his thin fingers run through his hair, leaving behind a mess. "I don't have much time; Neon wants to visit the gala evening held by another family. She hopes to negotiate for some more items."

"Can I come in?"

Kurapika stepped aside and opened the door some more, giving Melody enough space to enter the room.

"How are you?" she asked, as she looked around the room.

"Tired, first and foremost," he admitted, and Melody could tell he was telling the truth. There were dark circles under his eyes, and his movements were sloppy and slow. It was as if he was functioning on low battery.

"And how are you?"

Melody jumped in surprise. She had not anticipated to talk about her, this visit was supposed to be all about him. "I'm well," she answered, "even though I didn't make any progress." She looked at him intensely, and had to force herself to ask her next question. "What about you?"

Kurapika's face hardened, his eyes stone cold all of a sudden. His heartbeat was calm – too calm. He walked to his closet and opened the door.

Melody gasped in shock. There was a sight she hadn't expected.

In the closet was a huge collection of scarlet eyes, all pairs staring back at her.


	8. Looming shadows

**Thanks to randylahey5446 for beta-reading!**

* * *

 **Looming Shadows  
**

„This…" Melody stuttered, for once in her life having absolutely no idea how to react and what to say. "How?"

Kurapika snorted mirthlessly. "I'm Neon's personal bodyguard; I meet a lot of people. And believe me; these kinds of people like to brag about what they possess or what they want to possess." He made a face. "They like to collect all sorts of… things. It's disgusting."

Melody could tell from his hesitation and the expression on his face that it was much worse than what Neon liked to collect. She dreaded to think it might be more than just 'things'. "How did you get them?" She asked and nodded in the direction of the closet, partly because she was curious and partly because she wanted to get her mind off of her troubling thoughts.

"However it was convenient," Kurapika explained flatly. "Sometimes I broke in and nobody realized it until they were missing, sometimes I went up to them and threatened them personally."

Melody swallowed and looked at her friend. The way he just casually admitted to threatening people, and she knew those threats were better taken seriously, let little droplets of sweat run down her neck.

She wanted to sit down.

"I see." She didn't feel the need to say any more than that, knowing very well those people deserved nothing other. "I reckon Neon does not know of your success in finding them?"

"Of course not. This is my personal room, nobody is allowed to enter. I won't risk having them discovered."

"I think you should take a break, Kurapika."

Her suggestion came out of nowhere. When she looked at him, she could see he was on the verge of collapsing from exhaustion, she hadn't been able to hold back.

For a short moment, surprise was clearly visible on his face, until he collected himself and stared her down.

"Why would I? I'm not taking a break when I'm so far already. I would not be able to."

"Think of your friends." It was a low blow, she knew that. But she also knew it would make him think things through. "They wouldn't want to find you in the hospital the next time they see you. They would be devastated. I think you know that."

"Then what do you suggest I do, just sit around?" His voice was getting louder now, and Melody tried to calm him down by staying calm herself.

"Yes, that's exactly what I suggest. Take a break."

"I'm sorry, but I can't do that. I can't, and I won't."

She smiled sadly. "I thought as much. It was worth a try. I just want you to be careful and think of yourself and your health. I'm not just speaking on my behalf here."

Kurapika sighed heavily and plopped down onto the huge seat standing in the middle of the room. Melody sat down as well, looking at him expectantly.

"I know I'm demanding a lot of them. I know it's not right, but this here, this has to be done."

"I know, I understand."

"Will you tell them I'm alright?"

"I'll tell them you're okay."

"It sounds so negative when you say it like that."

"That's because it's meant in a negative way."

Kurapika smiled at her, and when he looked at her like that, she really thought, even if only for a moment, that he really was going to be okay.

* * *

It was late when Laeta finally finished work that evening. She had had a lot of customers and all in all it had just been a very exhausting and busy day.

A busy day that wasn't ending just yet.

Laeta was tidying up her market stand and closing the cash till, and she still needed to get some groceries from the shop. She looked one last time if everything was where it belonged, before she quickly ran up to her apartment, grabbed a jacket and her bag and hurried back out the door. Once back outside, she headed for the little shop a few streets away. She didn't need much, and it was probably the only place that was still open at this hour.

Entering the store, she sighed as she realized that she had forgotten her shopping list. Knowing her, she would forget something one hundred percent, but she was too tired to care at that moment. Hoping she would think of the most important things, she took a cart and began maneuvering it through the aisles.

As she walked through the store and filled her cart with groceries, she thought back to the last few days. She hadn't seen Leorio or the others since the incident at the restaurant, and she was feeling something heavy pressing down onto her chest. With a little smile, she took this as a confirmation that she was getting attached, more than she first thought. Right then, she decided to visit him the next day. Her resolve was clear: She didn't want to lose this new connection with Leorio just because she was scared of what might happen.

With a full cart, she went to the checkout. Thankful that nobody was there, she began to load her things onto the counter. The saleswoman greeted her grumpily. Laeta couldn't blame her; it was nearing nine thirty and already getting dark outside. Working the night shift in a 24 hours shop had to suck, and Laeta would not want to change places with her.

Laeta threw her an apologetic smile. The woman didn't smile back. Instead, she told her how much she had to pay, and said goodbye in the same grumpy voice she had greeted her with. Laeta loaded the groceries into her bag and exited the shop.

A cold wind made goosebumps appear on her skin, and not soon after, she felt a raindrop hit her nose. "Just great," she muttered and quickened her steps. Nobody had said anything about rain. If she was able to get home quickly, she might be able to get home dry.

The feeling of dread hit her out of nowhere.

Laeta stopped dead in her tracks.

She felt _something_ crawling up her arms and down her neck, engulfing her completely. It felt like millions of ants creeping over her, or needles pricking her skin. Her chest constricted. It felt as if something was squeezing her lungs together, preventing her from breathing, slowing her heart down. Her hands were shaking and she let go of her grocery bags. The content spilled on the ground, eggs broke and some apples rolled away.

Laeta tried desperately to move her legs, but they didn't follow her command. It was as if they were glued to the ground - or nailed to the ground, if the pain was any indication.

The next moment, she heard steps behind her.

She flinched harshly and bit her tongue.

This yanked her out of her trance. Not wasting any time, she began to run.

She didn't look back a single time as she searched for her phone. Finding it, she clutched it to her chest for a few moments. If she dropped it now, she would have to leave it behind. She knew she couldn't afford this to happen. Trying to calm her heartbeat and the shaking of her hands, she went to her contacts and selected Leorio's number. Only then did she risk a look back. She couldn't see anyone, but she was not dumb enough to just stop running. Frantically looking left and right, she searched for a suitable place to hide. She passed a tobacco shop, a hairdresser and many buildings she didn't recognize.

Finally finding a narrow alleyway to her right, she ran towards it and ducked behind a few stacked boxes. The phone was still ringing.

 _Pick up, damn it!_

She strained her ears to hear something, or rather someone. But there was nothing.

When Leorio finally picket up, she almost dropped her phone.

"Yes?" he asked, his steady voice calming her down some. It was going to be okay.

"L-Leorio?" She whispered, and cringed when she heard how shaken up she sounded.

"What's wrong?" Laeta thanked the heavens he was so quick to catch on. She swallowed and tried to level out her voice.

"I-I think I'm being followed." She bit her tongue. "No, I'm sure I'm being followed." Her heart stopped for a moment, as if she was only now fully realizing how dangerous this was. "Please help me," she added.

"I will," Leorio assured. "I will. Just-" he sounded stressed now, and she could hear some shuffling. "Where are you?"

She looked left and right. "I don't know. Oh god, I don't know- I-I just ran away somewhere."

"It's okay, calm down. You need to stay calm, okay? Are you somewhere safe right now?"

"I'm hiding in an alleyway. I-It should be near the 24 hour shop. I don't know, I really don't."

"Okay, we're on our way. Just, whatever you do, don't hang up. Stay on the phone, no matter what. And for the love of god, be careful. Only leave your hiding place when you absolutely have no other choice, got it?"

"I promise," she whispered. "I'm scared, Leorio. I'm scared out of my mind." She could feel the tears burning behind her eyes.

On the other end, she could hear hurried footsteps, doors and two new voices she recognized as Gon and Killua.

"We're coming. It's going to take a while, stay calm and quiet."

Laeta nodded, even though he couldn't see it. The rain was pouring down mercilessly now, and it was soaking her clothes. The roof of the house she was sitting against only gave her limited coverage. She was holding her phone so hard she feared it might break in two.

Laeta was praying for Leorio to find her quickly, but she knew she would need to hold out until he did, so she focused her attention on calming down her rapid breathing. Any sound she made could be used to detect her.

"Are you still there?" Laeta flinched, and answered shortly.

"Yes." She was proud her voice was slowly evening out.

"We're at the shop now," Leorio said, "Which way did you go? Try to remember."

"I wanted to go home. So I went right- go right." She thought intensely. "I don't know where I started to run, but I took a few turns."

"Do you remember _anything_?"

She whimpered, and tried to think clearly. "I remember seeing the tobacco shop. Yes, I'm not far from there."

"I know where that is. Stay where you are."

Laeta was convinced she wouldn't be able to move even if she wanted to. It was as if the fear was gripping her bones, shackling her in place.

What must have been minutes felt like hours to her. Any moment, she expected someone to jump on her.

"We're at the shop," Leorio eventually said, breathing hard. "I think we'll split up, don't come out, we'll find you."

As she was waiting, Laeta tried to move into a more comfortable position. Crouching for so long had deadened her feet and made her knees hurt like hell. Biting back a moan of pain, she sat down. Feeling much better, she closed her eyes and listened. For a long time, there was just the pitter-patter of the rain and the silence of the night. Her own heartbeat was so loud in her ears; she could hardly make out anything else.

Suddenly, there were steps approaching her.

She stilled completely and didn't dare move a finger.

The steps were light and quick, nothing like the heavy ones she had heard earlier.

Debating with herself on what do, she decided to stick her head out carefully, and peered around the boxes she was hiding behind. In the entrance of the alleyway stood two figures. Shortly, she wondered why she had only heard one pair of feet. Then, she recognized who was standing there.

She let out a sigh of relief and stood up.

Gon and Killua immediately looked in her direction and looked as if they wanted to attack her. She lifted her arms and took a step forward. "It's me," she soothed, even though she was in need of some serious soothing herself right now.

"Laeta!" Gon exclaimed. "Thank god. Are you okay?"

"Laeta?" Leorio said over the phone. "Are you alright? Is that Gon's voice I hear?"

"Yes, yes I'm fine," she said, hoping to answer both their questions.

"Thank god. Come back to the tobacco shop, we'll meet there." With some hesitation, Leorio hung up.

Laeta let her shoulders drop. She felt like she had been run over by a truck, or better yet, a train. The second time in one week she was standing in the middle of the city, soaked wet and exhausted.

"We should go back to the shop, Leorio is there," she informed the two boys meekly, her voice breaking at the end. They nodded.

"Let's go then," Killua said and took the lead.

Laeta realized that his steps were silent, and she put two and two together. That's why she had only heard one pair of feet. Her curiosity was roused, despite the situation they were in.

"Killua?"

"Hmm?" He looked back at her with furrowed eyebrows, and then he took his hands out of his pockets and looked at her fully. "What, are you hurt?"

The show of concern surprised her, coming from him, but she just shook her head. "Why can't I hear you walking? You are right in front of me, but I don't hear a thing- even though it's raining and there are puddles everywhere."

"It's an assassination technique I learned when I was young."

Laeta couldn't believe her ears. " _A-Assassination_ technique?" Surely she must have heard that wrong. "Are you kidding? Or am I taking this too literally?"

"Don't worry; I don't do that kind of stuff anymore." He said it so flippantly, Laeta thought he might really be joking, but her gut feeling told her there was more to it than just a simple joke. Why else would he be able to walk without sound?

Her eyes widened. It suddenly made sense; why Leorio had been so sure that Killua would be able to handle the situation with their attacker. She swallowed nervously, and saw Killua turning his head, an unreadable expression in his eyes. She felt bad for asking, and even worse for being visibly uncomfortable in his presence.

Her logical side couldn't help feeling that way, but her motherly side just wanted to take him into her arms. She tried to supress both of those feelings: neither one was appropriate. While sometimes harsh and rude, Killua had been kind to her- and he and Gon had probably saved her life tonight. It also wasn't her place to feel responsible for him; he seemed to be doing fine.

"I see," was all she said. Killua relaxed his tense shoulders. She smiled to herself; feeling reassured that her choice in words had been just right.

Gon stepped beside his friend and patted his back in a friendly manner. "Let's get going, I bet Leorio is waiting."

* * *

Leorio was impatiently standing in front of that damned tobacco shop.

He had already read every sign on it at least three times to kill the time and could probably recite everything by heart, but it did nothing to calm his nerves. He just really hoped that Laeta was doing okay.

Even though nothing of this was his fault, he still felt as if he was messing everything. Just when he had resolved himself to take the next step and hopefully get closer to her, something like this happened.

It said something about his life that this didn't even surprise him that much- but it sure made him upset.

Then finally, he could see three people turning the corner and walking his way.

He started to run in their direction. Laeta was standing in the middle, her hair tousled and her clothes as wet as his own. Taking an umbrella with him had _not_ been at the forefront of his mind, obviously. He grabbed her by her shoulders and looked into her eyes. "Are you okay?" It felt liberating to finally be able to ask this question while having her standing in front of him.

"Yeah." She didn't sound convinced, but she sounded honest – and that was enough.

He took a step forward and slung his arms around her, holding her against his chest. Her fingers were gripping his suit, and her quivering body was firmly pressed against his. It felt good, reassuring.

"Thank you for calling me," he said in a low voice, as if he would scare her away should he talk any lounder.

"Thank you for coming," she answered, and closed her eyes, leaning in closer to him. "Can I come with you tonight? I don't want to be alone."

"Of course, you're welcome anytime."

For the whole way back, he didn't let go of her hand for even one second, and she didn't seem to mind one bit.

Nobody said anything until they finally arrived at the hotel. Leorio suggested Laeta to take a bath to warm up again, but she just shook her head and said she wanted to sleep more than anything.

Leorio looked at his two younger friends. "How about you two share a bed for tonight so she can sleep somewhere?"

Killua just let himself fall onto his usual spot on his bed. "Why don't _you_ share one?" In his eyes, there was a mischievous gleam Leorio didn't like at all.

He was about to fight back, when Laeta raised her voice. "I don't mind."

Surprised, he turned his head to look at her, taking in her dishevelled appearance. He guessed she was too tired to feel any embarrassment whatsoever. Leorio swallowed nervously and tried to supress the oncoming blush. "S-Sure, why not? Make yourself at home, I'm in the bathroom."

He left the room, and closed he bathroom door behind him. Leaning against the sink and looking at himself in the mirror, he sighed.

He didn't mind having her beside him for the night. It was better to stay close. Of that, he was sure.

He just dreaded not getting his well-earned rest due to his pounding heart.

Leorio, at that moment, had no idea Laeta was being plagued by the same thoughts.


	9. Approaching

**I'm late – sorry about that! I was kind of stuck, not to mention my laptop decided to die on me, which is extremely annoying.**

 **It's a tiny bit shorter, but I didn't want to cram anything else into this chapter, it's supposed to wrap up nicely.  
**

 **Review answer is at the bottom. :)**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Approaching**

If Laeta was to be completely honest, one night of sleep had done nothing to relieve her of the stress and the uneasiness she was feeling. The events from the night prior kept replaying in her head, over and over, and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't keep her mind off of these things. It was like a constant churning in her stomach, a constant pounding in her head. She felt like pulling her hair out, one strand at a time, just to get keep herself occupied and distracted.

She felt absolutely whacked.

As she lay in bed that morning, the first rays of sunshine already creeping through the slim gap the curtains left open, she did her best to enjoy the calmness and comfort the friendly hotel room offered. The bed was comfortable and warm, and the faint chirping of the birds outside was soothing.

It felt a little bit like home, even though she had first stepped into the room eight hours ago, dripping wet and completely out of it.

Leorio was lying next to her, still fast asleep, which might have played a major factor in making her feel at home. Whenever she felt a wave of anxiousness approaching, just one glance in his direction made her feel reassured.

His face was completely relaxed, his body as still as a corpse. The way his arms and legs were sprawled out was the only indication that he was a rather restless sleeper. As Laeta thought about his trashing and snoring throughout the night, she couldn't help but smile.

Somewhere along the line, after Laeta had long fallen asleep, he must have scooted over, because his arm was currently slung around her, replacing the duvet he had snatched away from her unconsciously.

She didn't care. But thinking about it for too long _did_ make her heartrate increase significantly.

Laeta shook her head and suddenly felt the need to turn away from Leorio. Carefully, she took his arm and moved it away from her body –placing it carefully on top of his chest - before she positioned herself onto her side and closed her eyes, breathing out tiredly.

But of course it didn't go as planned.

"Mmh, what is it?" Leorio asked, sounding groggy and hoarse.

Laeta shuddered at the sound, while she supressed a regretful sigh. "Just go back to sleep, I'm sorry for waking you up," she murmured.

"… Laeta?" He sounded confused now, and she couldn't fault him for it. She had been confused too, when she had first woken up about an hour ago.

It had been a long time since she had woken up in a room she didn't remember falling asleep in. After that particular experience in her teenage years, she had never drunken a single sip of strong alcohol ever again.

"Yes," she answered, wondering how in the world she managed to sound so matter-of-factly when her heart threatened to jump out of her chest any moment.

Whose brilliant idea had it been for them to share a bed?

Leorio placed his hand flat onto his forehead, rubbing circles. "I completely forgot. Did I take away the covers? Sorry." He moved the duvet over to her with his foot, and she snatched it away with her hands greedily, covering her body up to her neck. "How are you feeling?"

Laeta debated on what to answer. She could be honest and tell him she was feeling horrible, or she could make him happy and lie. Neither option did appeal to her.

Eventually, she just shrugged her shoulders. "It was a bit too much."

"I agree," he said, and sat up. Laeta felt the mattress next to her moving. When she heard his voice again, the sleepiness was gone. He sounded awake and serious. So serious, in fact, that it caused her to bite her lips. "It was too much, and it won't happen again."

She didn't need to look at him to know what kind of look he had in his eyes.

The determination in his voice made Laeta blush. She let the words sink in, and after a while, she turned around to face him. "What are you going to do about it?"

"Well," he said, suddenly sounding flustered, as if his brain had just now caught up to what he had said, "first of all, you're going to stay here. If you want to, that is."

 _Of course I want to._

There was silence, until Laeta sat up as well, looking him in the eyes. "I can do that."

Leorio didn't answer.

The longer the renewed silence stretched on, the more awkward it got, but since she had nothing more to say, she just sat there, staring at him and waiting for _him_ to say something.

"Good," Leorio eventually declared, averting his eyes.

"Good," she agreed.

"What the freaking _hell_ are you doing? It's probably around eight o'clock. For god's sake, shut up, the both of you," Killua suddenly interrupted them, and Laeta had never heard him sound so cranky.

He truly sounded like a child right then.

She almost choked on her saliva. "I'm so-"

"Don't be a brat, the adults don't want to sleep as long as the kids do, it's only natural," Leorio fired back, smirking, obviously enormously proud of his comeback. Killua didn't seem to be as pleased, as a deep frown found its way onto his face.

Laeta bit back her apology, the damage was done. Instead, a cheeky smile spread across her face, as she elbowed Leorio in the side, causing him to wince. He sent her an accusing look, to which she just shrugged and mouthed _'good luck'_.

"Oh, yeah?" Killua drawled, already sounding much more awake. "Should I tell Laeta that you normally sleep longer than Gon and me both? Than Gon and me _combined_?"

"That's not true!" Gon suddenly objected, sitting up in a flash. Laeta flinched, not having anticipated the boy to be awake. Had he been listening the whole time? The thought unsettled her more than she cared to admit. "Just last time you slept until noon, Killua!"

Killua's eyes got wild. "Which side are you on, Gon?!" he roared, turning to his friend and staring him down. Laeta did not _ever_ want to be roared at by that boy.

"See?" Leorio mocked, "You're just a little kid."

"This little kid can tear you to shreds in a matter of seconds, watch what you're saying!" The words were as sharp as a freshly grounded knife, but the redness on the boy's cheeks diminished their impact immensely.

"You wouldn't do that," Gon said, and sent his friend a beaming smile. It was disarming.

Killua's blush increased. "Shut up." He laid back down and pulled the duvet up to his nose.

Leorio scooted closer to Laeta, bringing his lips to her ear. "If you ever have trouble handling Killua, just call Gon to make him a compliment, it will immediately and a hundred percent of the time shut him up. Pretty neat life hack if you ask me."

Laeta stifled a laugh. "I'll remember that."

She couldn't help focusing every bit of her attention on the lips that were currently resting against her ear. They weren't touching her, but if she moved just a tiny bit to the right…

She gathered all the courage she possessed, and did just that.

Nothing.

When she turned her head confusedly, she saw Leorio moving away from her. A long chain of complaints and curses was stuck in her throat, but she couldn't utter a single word. She couldn't decide if she was happy and relieved that he moved away, or extremely bummed out.

Leorio threw the duvet back and stood up. "Let's get something to eat." He stretched his back, the shirt he was wearing travelling up, and up, and up - Laeta averted her eyes and gritted her teeth.

Not the right moment, definitely not the right moment. Nope.

Her heart way racing in unfamiliar ways. Laeta shook her head. She was just shaken up from the night before, that was all; at least she told herself that.

"Are you coming?" he asked, already gathering his clothes. "We'll let the boys catch some more sleep."

Hastily, she nodded her head, muttered a faint 'yes' and stood up herself. She excused herself and went to the bathroom with a blush, her touch of boldness gone entirely.

* * *

"I can't believe they have something like this here," Laeta said, letting her eyes travel across the table in front of her, taking in all the food spread out on top of it. Orange juice, all kinds of bread and croissants, jam, butter, ham, cheese – everything the heart desired. It was mouth-watering.

"Take whatever you like, it's all included. The old man at the reception won't realize that you didn't check in with us," Leorio said, loading some cheese onto his plate.

Laeta made a face. "I'd feel bad doing that. I'll leave him some money at least."

"Do whatever feels right to you," he said, and went back to their table, Laeta in tow.

The whole way through the dining room, she was wracking her head on how to tell him what she so desperately wanted to tell him since that morning. Should she just come right out and say it? Should she drop some hints, speak in riddles?

 _No,_ she immediately thought, _that last one is a terrible idea._

They sat down, and Laeta brought her palms down onto the table louder than she had intended.

Leorio's attention was caught. He stared at her expectantly.

"Okay, look," she began, and immediately regretted having said anything. Sucking in a breath of air, she tensed up.

Leorio seemed to realize that something was up, and subtly encouraged her to keep speaking.

Meanwhile, her heart was practically in her throat, making her feel nauseous. All of a sudden, she didn't know if she would be able to even eat one single bite.

"I'm not sure how to tell you this," she tried again, and it sounded extremely bumpy to her ears. By now, Leorio must have thought that she was about to announce someone's death.

Hers, preferably, because she felt like dying.

Suddenly, his eyes widened. "Are you hurt? Did something happen yesterday?" He sounded alarmed, and Laeta lifted her hand to make him sit down again. He tended to always imagine the worst-case scenario. She had to keep that in mind for the future, lest she sent him into a fit of panic every time she opened her mouth.

Sighing, she leaned back in her chair, and ran her fingers through her hair. It must have stood out in all directions, but she couldn't have cared less. "It's just – I really like you. And I want to know where _this_ ," she made an all-encompassing gesture with her hands, "is going."

It was out.

It was out, and she couldn't take it back, and she hated it.

Laeta heard a loud _clatter_ and looked at Leorio, who had dropped his knife onto his plate. He wiped his mouth with a napkin and cleared his throat. "I see." There was a beat of silence, before he spoke up again. "I'm not going to lie, I like you very much myself."

The words hit her like a tsunami. Her hands were still laying on the table in front of her, because she just didn't know what to do with them. Placing them in her lap? Too awkward-looking. Crossing them in front of her chest? Too dismissive. That left her with option number three; just not moving them at all, which was just as awkward as option number one.

"So," she drawled, her voice wavering. "I've never had a boyfriend."

"Why are you telling me this? Does that mean you don't want to try this?"

"Don't be silly," she scolded. "It just means I'm nervous. I'm a wreck and we haven't even kissed. It's kind of pathetic, actually." Suddenly, she felt as if she was suffocating. The warmth of the room along with the smell of food was smothering. "Can we go outside? I'm feeling dizzy."

"S-Sure." He looked as if he needed a breath of fresh air as much as she did, which made her feel a little bit better.

They left the table and went to the little veranda attached to the dining room. It was connected to the hotel with glass-double-doors, leading them outside.

The place was covered in all kinds of flowers; Ivy was crawling up the façade of the building and around the black iron fence encircling the veranda. Flowerpots full of pansies, petunias and hydrangeas were standing around everywhere.

It was as if they had stepped into a little paradise.

Laeta sucked in a deep breath, relishing in the coldness, in the freshness. She didn't care that her skin was covered in goose bumps within seconds, she was just glad to feel like she could breathe again.

She cast a glance to her right, taking in Leorio's appearance. He looked surprisingly calm. If it weren't for the slight blush on his cheeks, he wouldn't look any different than usual.

Hesitantly, she took his hand and enclosed it with her own.

Just about zero point five seconds later, she wanted the earth to swallow her whole.

She wondered if it was too late to just let his hand go again, and pretend like nothing had happened.

Whining internally, she squeezed his hand more decisively. What kind of pathetic display was this? She wasn't thirteen! Why did she feel as if she wanted to die after just taking his hand? They had done that before, and it hadn't bothered her then.

When she looked at Leorio again, he had his face turned in her direction, and was looking at her curiously. Her eyes were fixated on his mouth.

 _Now or never, now or never!_

Laeta heard this phrase in her head like a chant. She was torn between listening to the hypnotizing words, or waiting for Leorio to take the initiative.

The problem was; Leorio didn't look like he intended to take the initiative any time soon, whereas Laeta definitely wanted to move things forward _right now_.

She bit her lip, took a decisive breath, stood onto her tiptoes and pressed her lips against his.

It was chaste, it was delicate – really, it could barely be called a kiss, and her mother would mock her for the pathetic attempt– but it filled her stomach with so many butterflies, she felt as if she could fly away with them.

And she would have, if it had been possible.

She stepped back and looked everywhere but at Leorio's face.

 _So, what does one do after kissing someone?_

She nervously clenched her hand.

 _Not standing around like an idiot would be an option,_ her mind supplied.

When Leorio pulled her back against his chest, she squeaked, and proceeded to forget everything around her. It was just him and her. And she hoped it would stay like that for a while.

* * *

 **Banana:**

 **Please don't apologize. It makes me really happy to know you're still reading!**

 **Yeah, I try to kind of tackle the question of 'What would happen if one of the main four would fall in love with a completely normal person' – we'll see how this ends (or you'll see, as I already know ;)). I'm glad you actually find that interesting, instead of boring.**

 **Thanks for the correction, I'll definitely edit that. :)**


	10. Warning

**Warning**

"I don't understand why you're coming along."

Kurapika hadn't intended for it to sound rude. In his head, it had sounded like a genuine question, objective and completely harmless. But as soon as the words had tumbled out of his mouth, he almost regretted having said them. Would they've been directed at anyone else, he would have most definitely felt guilty about it, but somehow he knew Melody would understand.

And even if she didn't understand, she wouldn't hold it against him.

They were walking through the long corridor of their hotel, white walls surrounding them everywhere. It seemed bland and boring, but to Kurapika, it was soothing. The walls were unblemished, perfectly built, no scrapes on them. They oozed calmness and orderliness.

They looked like what he sometimes wished he felt like.

But the truth was, he felt everything _but_ orderly and calm.

"Because I don't really trust you alone right now and I want to spend some more time with you."

It was brutally honest, and it poked at his ego, causing his sarcastic side to awaken.

"Spending time with me on a mafia-gathering; real charming." He glanced at her out of the corner of his eyes. "And anyway, I can very well take care of myself."

Melody remained silent, walking beside him slowly, almost prudently. She was wearing a black dress, something Kurapika had never seen her wear, and he had to admit; she wore it well. Its borders were decorated with intricate designs and lace, giving it an elegant feel.

Kurapika realized that she most likely disagreed with his statement, but chose to let it drop in favour of keeping an amicable atmosphere between them. He couldn't even fault her for thinking that way. Looking back on his actions in Yorknew, even he himself had to admit that he might have gone overboard.

He might have gone overboard, but he didn't regret anything of it.

He bit his lips, closing his eyes shortly, letting the images flood back; remembering.

The blood, the lifeless body lying at his feet, and the nothingness and the feeling of unrest he clearly remembered overcoming him. The feeling as if his lungs were sucking in acid instead of oxygen, the feeling of his heart constricting– not in sadness, but in something he didn't dare name, even to this day.

He remembered almost having lost both Gon and Killua to the Spiders, and his resolve to not let them get involved with them one more time came back with a vengeance.

He'd felt bad – he really had, when he'd had to turn them down _again_ a few days ago, to disappoint them _again_. He longed to be there for them, too, but he knew he couldn't give in until he had achieved his goal, until all his brethren were together again, and the Spiders were rotting in the pits of hell.

"See?" Melody's voice interrupted him, sounding edifying, "That face – that's why I'm staying with you right now."

Kurapika smiled bitterly. "I guess I can't argue with that."

Melody stopped in her tracks, causing Kurapika to pause as well, looking back at her, waiting for her to say something. She had her hands at her sides, lax, just hanging there. But he could clearly see the tension in her shoulders and the force she had to use to prevent her brows from furrowing.

Melody was good at hiding how she felt and what she thought, appearing calm and relaxed at most times – but over the years, Kurapika had gotten talented at reading peoples intentions, reactions and emotions. The little woman standing in front of him now was no exception.

"I really think you got your teeth too deep into your cause, Kurapika. You are dragging yourself down deeper every day. I fear that, one day, there will be nothing left of you but your intense hatred for these people who don't deserve to be the reason you destroy yourself for."

He took a defensive step back, hitting the wall with his back. Leaning against it, he raked his fingers through his hair.

He felt the laugh bubble in his chest before it burst out of him.

It sounded weird to his own ears, not how a laugh was supposed to sound, not how he remembered a laugh – _his_ laugh – to sound.

"We've had this conversation just yesterday," he warded, fighting off a few chuckles, "let's just go, the party will start in half an hour."

In spite of his words, he didn't make any appearance of moving. He stayed glued to the wall, his eyes glazed over, staring at the wall opposite of him. The white of the wall got blurrier with every second, his eyes getting tired and his eyelids seeming heavier than what was usual.

It felt strange.

Melody shook her head and, caressing his arm in passing, complied with his wish, leaving him alone.

She always knew what he needed most at any given moment.

Kurapika stayed behind for a few seconds, staring blankly ahead, watching as she walked away from him.

But it was okay.

He knew she would wait for him outside. For as long as it took him to set his feet into motion again.

Because that's just what Melody did.

* * *

To be honest; the party was pretty boring, if it even could be called a party.

Melody was standing in a corner of the room, observing the people who were gathered in front of her, taking in as many details as she could manage.

Most of the guests were wearing black, which was entirely unsurprising to her. Even though most of the people around her were male, there were a few women scattered here and there; but all in all, Melody stuck out like a sore thumb. She had tried to apply some make-up, but the substance stuck to her face had disgusted her more than she cared to admit, thus causing her to keep it to a bare minimum.

The room was big, bright and decorated in golden and red colours. Big windows adorned the wall, as well as gaudy, most likely religious, paintings full of naked people. On the side stood a big piano that was currently being played by an old man, and Melody admired how his thin fingers danced across the keys, nimbly producing a jazzy melody. Dozens of people were standing around, talking and laughing together.

So there she was, standing in the middle of a mafia gathering, wearing a simple, albeit elegant dress and with little to no make-up on her face. The most attention had been spent on her hair; it was gathered at the back of her head in a neat bun, some thin braids leading to it, giving it the appearance of being extremely complicated and intricate, when, in reality, it had been a matter of ten minutes.

By all means, Melody should have been used to mafia business by now, and she scolded herself for feeling a bit out of place.

She couldn't help already missing the stage she had been playing on just a few days prior, knowing there were hundreds of eyes on her, hearing the thundering applause, feeling the buzzing of the floor at her feet and the melodies bouncing off the walls, reaching her ears.

"The man I wanted to talk to is not here."

When she heard Kurapika's voice next to her, she turned her head to look at him. He'd told her before they had left for the event that he was looking for a specific mafia boss. André _something_ – really, she couldn't have pronounce that name for the life of her even if she tried. Anyhow, Kurapika had received a hint from someone; a hint that André was in possession of some very precious, red eyes.

"Damnit," Kurapika cursed, and his eyes flashed for a moment.

"Maybe he'll turn up later," Melody tried, keeping her voice down, giving it her best to not aggravate him further.

Kurapika took a deep breath and let his shoulders sag, rotating them to ease the tension. "You're right. You're right, I'll wait some more."

Melody nodded, they could wait a little longer.

Suddenly, she shuddered.

There was something uncanny about feeling as if she was being watched, and something very disturbing about feeling as if she was being watched while hearing a person's heartbeat slowly reaching her ears, conveying to her just how awful the thoughts in that person's head must be.

Slowly, and as unsuspiciously as possible, Melody turned her head in the direction she heard the heartbeat come from. Immediately, she laid her eyes upon a broad man with a scarred, angular face. He was indeed looking in her direction, but rather than on her, his eyes were fixated on the person standing next to her.

Kurapika had yet to notice the man observing him, and Melody caught his attention by touching his arm with her elbow. When his eyes met hers, she didn't say anything. Instead, she moved her eyes as subtly as possible in the wanted direction. Catching the hint, Kurapika followed her instructions, looking over her head and over at the man.

Melody saw his jaw tightening, and felt him tense beside her.

"Do you know him?" she asked, whispering.

"Yes," he bit out. His voice sounded strained, as if he was forcefully keeping it under control.

"Calm down."

No response.

"Kurapika," she repeated, "calm down, or we'll move outside."

He jumped slightly, shaking his head to get rid of the daze.

"Yes, I know him," he sighed. "Sadly. He had a pair –" Kurapika stopped, apparently not bringing the word over his lips, "he had a pair of them."

Melody heard his voice waver, but continued speaking calmly. "Did you get them?"

"Yes."

"How?"

"I might have threatened him."

Melody swallowed her nervousness. The man didn't look pleased, and in some weird way, she couldn't fault him for it. But in her eyes, he was and would always be an asshole who deserved everything Kurapika decided to dish out.

"We should be careful," she worried, tugging his sleeve, "let's move into the crowd a little bit."

"What? I'm not running away. He can come over if he wants to – if he dares to."

"Kurapika, as much as I love your self-confidence, it's bordering on insanity, and you have to stop."

Kurapika looked at her as if she had grown a second head.

"I know what you want to say," she continued sharply, "I know this is not typical of me, but you are really pushing my patience here. Do you even know how concerned your friends are about you? Pull yourself together, right now – or I swear to all that is holy I _will_ knock you out and carry you home."

"That's – I'm –"

"Let's go."

Melody grabbed the sleeve of his jacket and yanked him away from his spot against the wall, dragging him along with her through the crowd. She bumped into several people, hurriedly apologizing and moving on, until they finally arrived at the exit. The cold night air made her shiver, and she wished she had taken something warm with her.

Kurapika was silent, so she stayed silent as well as she called over a taxi. They entered, told the driver the address and drove off to the hotel. Kurapika had his hands clenched in his lap, his cheeks reddened – if from embarrassment of from anger, Melody didn't know, but she knew she had at least knocked some sense into him. Figuratively, of course.

"I'm sorry," Kurapika finally pressed out, after several minutes of silent driving, "I reacted foolishly."

"It's okay," she soothed, "You need to think some more before you act. You might be able to devise fool-proof plans, but when your anger takes over your mind, you get careless and make things harder for yourself. You got those eyes already – so let the man be angry by himself. You don't need to concern yourself with him anymore."

"Right," he said, but he didn't sound entirely convinced. For now, Melody let it slide – she was just happy they were safely inside the car, driving home to get some sleep.

When she looked over at him to make sure he was okay, her eyes widened slightly, noticing something sticking out of his breast pocket.

"What's that?" She pointed at it, and Kurapika followed her gaze.

"Huh, I didn't even notice." He sounded just as confused as her, which confirmed her suspicions; it hadn't been there when they had arrived, which meant somebody must have given it to him without either of them realizing.

 _When we were fighting our way to the exit…?_

Kurapika pulled it out and turned it around in his hand. Strangely enough, it was a little envelope.

"Be careful," she reminded.

"I know."

Melody watched as Kurapika opened the envelope, and saw something red fall out of it when he pulled out a little piece of paper. She crouched down and searched for it with her hands. When she found it, she sat back up and inspected it.

"What is it?" he asked.

Melody furrowed her brows. "It's a lock of red hair." Confusedly, she looked at him. "What does the paper say?

Kurapika focused his attention back on the piece of paper, reading it out aloud with an even voice. "This is a warning; ignore it and your other friends will be next. I expect the Kurta eyes back in three days – refuse and your friends die, one by one." He too, furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "Give me that."

Melody handed the lock over to him.

He inspected it thoroughly for a moment, seeming lost in his thoughts. Then, he shook his head. "I don't know anyone with red hair important enough to me for this threat to make sense."

"Do you think they mistook you for someone else?"

He bit his lips in consideration. "I don't know. It's possible. I'm not the only one who's after Kurta eyes."

Melody let the information sink in for a moment before she came to a decision. "I'll call them when we're back, just to be sure."

Kurapika was clearly hesitating, but Melody was not sure why, and she didn't dare ask. He looked as if he wanted to say something, but at the same time, he looked determined not to say whatever it was he wanted to say.

Eventually, when Melody had already given up on finding out what was on his mind, Kurapika spoke up. "No." His voice was even and levelled out, but there was an undertone of tension in it. Melody was about to fight back, when he continued. "No, _I_ will call them." He turned his head to look at her, smiling softly. "I'll call them and make sure they are alright. I think," he paused, closing his eyes, "I think I owe them this."

At that moment, Melody felt her heart swell with pride. She could have hugged him, but wisely resisted the urge to sling her arms around his neck.

He was making progress.

He was willing to contact his friends, and that was all that mattered at that moment.

She smiled back, more genuinely than she had in a long, long time. It almost felt foreign on her face, pulling at her muscles in unfamiliar ways. In some fashion, it felt liberating, and her heart skipped a beat.

"Do that. They'll be happy to hear from you, Kurapika."

For the rest of the drive, Melody couldn't wipe the little grin off of her face, even though worry was nagging at the back of her mind the whole way, reminding her that something was not right.


	11. Aggravation

**Finally, I get to update this. I'm so sorry! I was so busy I couldn't get myself to sit down write anything. I'm trying to get back on track now! I hope I'm not too rusty :D Please excuse any mistakes you might find, I proof read it, but not as vigorously as I probably should have.**

 **If anyone's still reading this, Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Aggravation**

 **24 hours earlier**

Laeta was sitting on the balcony, cradling the book she tried to read in her lap, opened at a page she hadn't yet looked at. Her eyes fixated on the moon, her heavy eyelids just barely staying open. Somewhere in the distance, she heard the chirping of crickets, reminding her of her mother's house, where endless fields surrounded the little hut and forests garnished the horizon. The images were vivid before her eyes, and she was practically able to smell the freshly baked apple pie her mother loved to make whenever she'd gotten the chance.

The clock inside the hotel room was ticking in a soothing rhythm, almost lulling her to sleep numerous times. Her feet had long gotten dead.

Leorio had gone to the movies with the two boys, but Laeta had stayed behind, refusing to go out.

She was glad to get some time to herself, to organize her thoughts, and, more pressingly, her feelings. Because her feelings were all over the place; sometimes roaring up like a blazing fire, before dying down to a little flame, giving off little sparks of glowing ash that prickled and burned her skin.

Sometimes it was pleasant; exciting – and sometimes it wasn't, because there was something else mixed in there than love and happiness.

She slammed the book shut. The resounding bang scared the blackbird on the handrail next to her, and it took off with fluttering wings, disappearing in the dark night sky. The candlelight flickered. Laeta took a deep breath. She shivered and pulled the blanked tighter around her shoulders.

" _So, what now?" It was a silly question, she knew. The evening wind was cold, and a few loose strands of hair tickled her neck. Laeta leaned against the handrail, her fingers gripping the iron like a lifeline. Leorio stood next to her and had his hands tucked into his pockets._

" _What do you mean, 'what now'?"_

" _You said you were on semester break, how long will you stay?"_

 _He scratched the back of his head. "I haven't thought about it."_

 _Laeta hummed and took a deep breath. There was no university nearby, and if – when - he went back, there would be at least an hour long drive separating them. She mulled over the thought in her head, and found it didn't bother her as much as it probably should have. Since she'd moved out and left her mother a few years ago, she'd gotten independent to a fault. Even though her mother kept on pestering her to let her help with finances, she'd turned her down time and time again._

 _She still remembered the heartbroken expression on her mother's face when she'd first told her. It'd pulled at her heartstrings, but she'd known her mother would come around._

 _The truth was; she liked being alone just as much as she valued company._

 _She felt a hand on her neck, kneading her muscles. Shivers rushed down her spine._

" _I'm not a cat, you know?" she chuckled. Feeling the pressure go away, she backtracked. "I didn't say you need to stop."_

 _Leorio kept going, but the longer he carried on, the more erratic his movements got. "I'll definitely graduate."_

 _Laeta lifted her eyebrows and gazed at him. His eyes were burning in the sunset like a pit of lava. "Of course! Leorio, really? I wouldn't want you to give up your studies even if you asked! What the hell? It's your future – and your dream." She boxed his shoulder, which he countered with a hiss. "You're an idiot."_

" _No need to hit me," he muttered, as he rubbed the throbbing area. "You can massage your own neck in the future."_

 _Her cheeks reddened. "Fine, then how about this?"_

 _Stepping behind him, Laeta raised her hands and placed them on his neck. He stiffened instantly, before he shot her a flirtatious look. "Ooh, I_ might _forgive you if you do this well."_

 _The look he wore on his face made Laeta want to run inside and cover Gon's and Killua's eyes. "You bet your ass I'll do this right! You're talking to a seamstress, my dear sir."_

" _Don't be too arrogant. As a doctor I'm very picky and judicial about how my neck muscles are treated."_

" _Your neck muscles will thank me because they are as stiff as they get." She said it in a sing-song voice, but she felt her heart constrict just a little. It felt as if she was massaging stone. Moving her fingers in a circular manner, she took a deep breath of air, catching a whiff of Leorio's spicy cologne. "You need to look after yourself, too."_

 _Leorio straightened his back. "What do you mean?"_

 _She stopped her ministrations and lowered her head, staring at the floor. "It's clear you care for your friends very much, but self-care should not be neglected, Leorio."_

 _He stayed silent._

" _I don't mean to be rude, but you look like hell."_

" _Wow," he hissed theatrically, "very rude."_

" _I'm serious, Leorio."_

 _Scratching his neck, he let his shoulders sag and sighed. "You know," he began, "I have a lot to worry about." He placed his elbows onto the handrail and stared at the road below. "Two of my friends are reckless idiots and one of them worries so much that I have to worry about him, too." A fond smile formed on his lips. "I love them all to bits, but the messes they get themselves into, I_ swear _– it drives me crazy." He looked at her. "It was an eventful week. I'm a bit tired; that's all. I'm sure you understand."_

 _She did._

" _On top of all of that," he added, sounding more chipper, "my new girlfriend almost got kidnapped."_

 _She blushed, and boxed him again. "What's there to grin about?"_

" _My heroic self coming to the rescue, of course!"_

" _You dimwit," she laughed, "That's Gon's and Killua's merit."_

" _Leorio!" hearing the voice from the doorway, Laeta and Leorio turned their heads. Killua crossed his arms and gazed at them with a petulant pout. "Are you ready for the movie theatre? Gon is getting jittery."_

 _Laeta bit back a snort. She knew from a reliable source (Leorio was very reliable) that Killua had been the one dying to see the movie. But she also knew he tended to vehemently deny such accusations, which was why she refrained from commenting on it. She did, however, exchange a knowing look with Gon, who sat on his bed inside the hotel room._

 _He stuck out his tongue. She winked._

" _Sheesh. There's no helping it," Leorio groaned, but there was a smile tugging at his lips. "Get ready, I'll be there in a minute."_

 _Laeta smiled, watching Leorio as he followed Killua back into the room, throwing his jacket over his shoulders._

A faint knock on the door yanked Laeta out of her thoughts. She startled, and the book fell out of her lap onto the stone floor. Calming herself down, she sighed and toyed with the idea of ignoring it, but the well-educated girl inside won her over – it always did.

Laeta stood, her bones cracking unpleasantly, and she stretched her back, the blanket falling off of her shoulders. Immediately, goosebumps littered her skin. The wool blanket had done a good job of concealing how cold it had gotten, but discarding it now felt like stripping down to her undergarments in a snow blizzard.

Shivering, Laeta trotted over to the door, gripping the door handle – and hesitated yet again. She pricked her ears and listened. There was nothing but the roaring of the air conditioner. She took her hand away and pressed it against her chest. Her heart throbbed against it.

Looking down at herself, Laeta frowned. Seeing the beige nightgown covering her body, she was reminded of the time. As she gazed at the clock hanging on the wall, she saw it displaying 23:10 pm.

 _Who the heck even knocks at a time like this?_

Slowly, she took a few cautious steps back. Her heart was in her throat.

Turning around, she saw the paperknife laying on the dresser, glowing in the dim candlelight like igneous metal. With one decisive move, the makeshift weapon landed in her hands, and she gripped it as if her life depended on it (which it probably did). She felt ridiculous, but the dreadful feeling safely nestled in every corner of her body wouldn't leave her.

When the knocks resounded again, Laeta flinched and tiptoed back onto the balcony. She laid her hands onto the handrail and looked down at the road below.

 _Jumping is out of the question._

Laeta shook her head and bit her lips.

 _What am I even thinking? Surely I'm overreacting._

When there was a loud crash, she shrieked and internally barked at herself; she definitely was _not_ overreacting, because the wooden door was currently laying on the ground in a shambles.

Since jumping was still very much out of the question, she panicked, her hands shaking like aspen leaves. In the entrance stood two figures; one man with broad shoulders and one scrawny woman. Laeta's eyes widened as she clearly recognized the man from the attack at the restaurant. Cold sweat gathered at the nape of her neck, and she swallowed.

The woman looked her up and down with narrowed eyes. "See? She will do, we don't necessarily need that boy. I'm tired of waiting, and so is the boss. It doesn't really matter anyway."

The words caught Laeta off guard, her intense stare wavering for a moment as she blinked in surprise. _That boy_? Were they still after him? Gon's image flashed before her eyes, solidifying her resolve to keep calm.

"He's not here," she blurted out, not registering what they'd _really_ just said.

"We _know_." The woman shook her head, looking disgruntled. "We waited and waited to catch him alone, but to no avail."

Laeta felt her grip on the paperknife strengthen, the sweat gathering at her hands making them slippery. "How di-," her voice broke. "H-How did you find us?"

"Silly girl, we followed you."

 _They followed us? When? Don't tell me-_

Then, she knew. That night she'd been chased by one of them – they hadn't caught her, and at that time, she'd thought it was strange. Because surely they could have if they'd wanted to. Her heart stopped as she realized she'd been _used_.

"Alas! As I've said, you will do as well. With no Nen or special abilities," a nasty grin stretched across her slender face, "you're an easy target."

Laeta's breath hitched. There was no way in hell she'd be able to defend herself against those people. Their presence alone made her skin burn like fire and the hairs on her neck stand on end. She _knew_ she was an easy target, and the helplessness that came with that realization did not help.

"Enough talk," the woman said. "Let's do this."

As if it'd been a command, the silent man beside her took a few steps forward, locking eyes with Laeta. She was nailed to the ground.

As desperation overcame her, she struck with the paperknife, flailing wildly at the approaching man, shaking and shrieking. "Don't come near me!" The man didn't seem to hear her words, and as he came to a halt in front of her, she aimed at his outstretched hand. Laeta felt resistance and relished in the fact that she'd struck the man, but reality caught up with her when not a single drop of blood tainted his flesh.

"Forget it," he grumbled, moving his fingers experimentally. "You're done for."

Laeta dropped the paperknife in shock. It landed with a faint _thump_ on the carpeted floor.

The last thing she saw was him raising his fist, bringing it down to her neck.

* * *

"Oh my god," Killua lamented, "That guy was such an idiot."

Leorio laughed and ruffled the boy's hair. "Calm down, it was just a movie."

Killua swatted his hand away. "Yeah, but it was stupid! It was so obvious his brother would turn out to be the bad guy! Lame."

"You think so?" Gon piped in, "I thought the father could have also been the culprit, as well. In fact; he probably was all along."

Killua looked at his friend with a raised eyebrow. Then, he narrowed his blue eyes. "Gon, the case has been solved at the end, it was the brother. Did you fall asleep or something?"

"Why are you so sure they caught the right one? Maybe they were wrong?"

"Gon, that's just how crime movies work! If they caught the wrong one the movie would have alluded to it!"

"Why are you so sure of that?"

"Gaah!" Killua tore his hair. "Discussing movies with you is the worst mistake I've ever made."

Leorio was still grinning from ear to ear. The evening out had just been what he'd needed to get his mind off of things. He let his thoughts wander, back to earlier this evening, and as he thought of Laeta, he wished she'd come along with them.

After fifteen minutes of walking in the dark, they reached the hotel. Only now did Leorio feel how tired he was. His legs were as heavy as stone, and his eyelids didn't fare any better.

As the trio entered the entrance hall, the boys still chattering, Killua suddenly got quiet. He narrowed his eyes. "Something's wrong."

Gon just nodded, looking around, while Leorio stopped dead in his tracks, confused. "What?"

"Concentrate," Gon helped, "there are traces of aura floating around."

Leorio closed his eyes for a moment and scanned the room. There was something cold and sharp in the air, like hair-thin threads of steel. "You're right. But what…?" He let his eyes sweep across the room and caught sight of the receptionist. Leorio's eyes widened. His body was sprawled over the counter, a mixture of saliva and blood dripping out of his mouth onto the wooden surface. He ran over to the man, immediately feeling for a pulse. When he registered a faint _thump-thump_ he let out a relieved sigh. "He's okay, just unconscious. I'll look him over."

"I don't think now's the time for that," Killua said, and the tone of his voice did not sit well with Leorio. The boy pointed in front of him. "Because the aura leads up the stairs."

Leorio needed a moment to process his words, but as soon as he did, he sprinted up the stairs, Killua and Gon behind him. His heart raced.

 _No, no, no!_

The sight greeting him in front of their room made his blood run cold. Remains of the door laid on the floor, the French window leading to the balcony wide open, and a paperknife laying on the ground.

And Laeta – Laeta was gone.

* * *

 **Guest: I know right? Those guys are so presumptuous! Thanks for the review, I appreciate it!**


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